In the Wake of Giants

Janine grunted as she was tightly gripped by the young dragon. She looked up in its eyes and saw the panic and fear that was controlling its actions. She felt some of that primal fear threatening to affect her, but she opted to keep her resolve; part of her training was to keep cool during stressful situations. If she let the fear take over, she'd show all the kingdom what she really was. And there was no way she'd ever let that happen.

Janine panted and watched as Venus galloped beside Janine and the young beast. She whinnied worryingly, and as she looked back, the large dragon was still heavy in pursuit. Janine shook her head and tried to escape the grip that was upon her - she needed to get to Venus and steer out of danger.

"Let me go! I need to get to my horse! Let me go now!" Janine shouted. The dragon took a glance towards the shouting human within its paws and spoke to her with a sort of unreadable expression on their face.

Janine couldn't tell what that meant, but she didn't like the looks of it at all. But suddenly, the dragon threw Janine up in the air, making her scream in shock. When she fell back down, she landed on the back of the dragon - she winced as she saw and felt the inflicted wounds in person, and tried to hang on to a back spine with caution. She struggled until the larger dragon gave a vicious roar, one that startled both the dragon and Janine into flinching. Such a loud sound, she figured it capable of jarring even the most concentrated of people.
The larger dragon was drawing closer, and the dragon that was holding the young Knight was slowing down, undoubtedly because of the wounds. Janine looked to her right when she saw gaps of light. The treeline! She was so close to the town but so far, and she was nowhere near able to get there on her own.

In no time at all, the larger dragon sped up and raised a blood-covered hand, taking aim at its target. Janine knew what was coming next and braced for impact. The poor dragon, however, was too focused on running away to notice.

"Look out!" Janine shouted.

The wounded dragon looked back and roared in alarm just as the other one brought its wicked claws down on its victim's torn up hide. The young dragon roared in agony, and its legs gave out as the larger dragon slowed to a stop.

Janine and the dragon skidded across the forest floor for a few feet before slamming into a tree. Janine hit the tree trunk hard, her vision all blurry as she felt herself feeling faint.
But Janine shook her head - she couldn't faint over something as trivial as falling down. With a small growl, Janine glanced around in an attempt to clear her vision, and saw the larger dragon pinning down the wounded one. It was huge, and its features captivated her with its powerful presence. She figured a lot of power was packed into this strange physiology of a dragon... But where did it come from?

Never mind it - it was going to kill the other dragon if she didn't do something. But what could she do? The two dragons were roaring at each other, but the larger one even had the advantage in giving a more terrifying roar. It got up and muttered something in a harsh and guttural growl, sending shivers down her spine. A foot with a hooked claw rested on the downed dragon's body, right on the ribs. She gasped - it was going to kill it with the claw! Damnit, what could she do?!

She got up and stepped forward, crunching on a stick under her feet. She looked down and saw the object, picking it up and noticing how sharp the end was. Maybe she could distract the dragon and help the other get away.

Maybe she'd lead the dragon away from the town. She had to protect the townspeople no matter what. With a nod of determination, Janine picked up the stick and ran towards the larger dragon, raising the stick in her hand. When She got under the beast, she went down on the other foot that was planted to the ground and stabbed the foot with all her might.

The dragon lifted its head and roared a huge roar, stumbling back as it reeled in pain. The beast backed away from the wounded dragon to investigate the source of the mysterious pain that was inflicted upon it, and saw the smaller human that was Janine.

It glared at her with a piercing stare of rage, then began to charge her with a gaping mouth. Janine turned to run deeper into the forest, but she was quickly outpaced, as the dragon actually hooked Janine's leg with a claw.

She cried out in pain and fell down in a tumbling mess, stopping when she hit a tree once more.

Fuck. She didn't anticipate the dragon to maintain the same speed with a stabbed foot. The dragon slowed down and lowered its head down to her level, where she was face to face with the angry beast. Fear slowly crept up throughout her body, freezing her limbs as she felt her inner demon hiss and claw in an attempt to get her to defend herself.

She felt herself wanting to turn, but she couldn't bring herself to do so - if she did, she'd die even quicker if the dragon even understood what was happening to her. But she seemed to be closer to death at this point.

Janine had to stay ahead of her fear, or else, she'd have a forced transformation on her hands. She looked around, hoping an idea would come to her.
 
The dragons were maintaining their speed, their need in doing so far different to each other. He sniffed the air as he and Chestnut raced to keep up through the trees. There was a familiar scent and he frowned. Whoever this source of the scream was, it was someone he had met and had time to gain the traits of their scent. It told him it was a woman and that she must spend time a lot around horses for the scent was musky. The scent of horse added to the mix and as they got closer, he could pick out the form of a horse's legs running frantically to keep up with the smaller dragon.

He glanced through the trees and noted that they were getting dangerously close to the tree line. As he looked back, he heard that scream again and saw a figure fly upwards before disappearing behind torn wings on the younger.

"Getting ready, I hope?" Chestnut's voice broke into mind and he looked at her before he looked back
"Need to get closer..." he had barely replied when the larger beast caught up with its prey and the ground shook with the impact of the younger dragon's legs meeting the ground. Chestnut drew to a halt beneath him making him almost lose his footing. The bigger dragon was colossal and spoke of the forest's age to still hide its great bulk.

"Plucky meat sack! Look at her go!" Chestnut raised her head, snorting lightly as her nostrils flared, catching her breath.

Raban frowned trying to see what she was on about and sure enough he could make out someone running towards the large dragon with something held in her hand. He sniffed again but the air was too rough with smoke for a decent identification.

"What she trying to do... get herself killed?"
"Probably. Your precious humans love doing that. Getting themselves killed." Chestnut never failed to delight on humanity's failings and she carried on regardless of the reproachful look upon his features. "You better go, little wolf. I don't think that beast is going to like what she's planning."

Raban looked at her before he dismounted and removed the bulk of his armour, attaching it to the custom made hooks to the saddle that he had made for this purpose. It was typical he was down to his last pair of breeches and would have to buy more as soon as he got back to town as he pulled his tunic over himself and stuffed it into a bag.

He turned his head as he heard a scream of pain. He patted Chestnut's flank, "I'll catch up with you later... Get her to safety."
"What of the other dragon?"
"It'll flee if it has sense,"

Raban ran towards the source of the scream and initiated the change within. It was the easiest part of being what he was. The rage and anger was something that had always answered and fur broke through his skin, limbs elongated and cause him to yelp as the wound in his leg caused him momentary pain. His face changed, his ears rotating to the top of his head, his mouth and nose moved to become a muzzle. He paused briefly to shake himself and stood as a black furry werewolf with dusky yellow eyes that spoke not only of the lupine intelligence but of his human one too.

The Knight dropped to his fours and ran towards the large dragon that he could now see through the trunks of the trees. Close to its lowered head was a woman. He recalled the scent now. He had met her outside that tavern, she was the one to have complimented Chestnut.

He growled and burst through the treeline leaping at the dragon's face. What he was doing was a crazy action for even a normal man to do let alone a werewolf. He dug his claws into the scaly hide even as the head lifted again, a roar thundering out from his maw. He could actually feel its strength pass through from its gullet till it left the vile teeth.

The wolf snarled and spun on the top of the dragon's snout as the dragon began to react to the strange furry beast that was now clinging to its face. He bared his fangs and leapt for the beast's eye, intending to claw it out and make himself a distraction.

--

Chestnut whinnied and charged towards the woman once the bigger dragon was distracted. The shire snickered and pawed the ground next to her. There was one problem to this plan. Raban could not speak whilst he was a wolf and nor could she with anyone she was not bonded to. Getting through to this woman that she needed her to get on her back was something Chestnut had not fully anticipated.

The shire lowered her head quickly and tugged on the woman's arm with her blunt teeth before she presented her side to an empty saddle. Raban's armour clanked and clinked with her movement signalling Raban was somewhere in the vicinity. There was blood on one side of the saddle which looked fresh indicating that the shire's owner was somewhere in the forest too.
 
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The green eyes of the dragon shone with the intent to kill - there was no doubt about that. Janine panted as she was pressed up against the tree, praying that something would happen to distract the beast. She then caught the scent of something familiar. Now was not the time to busy the brain for the source of the smell, but she couldn't help but wonder a little. The sound of hooves was behind her, but she didn't dare look around to see who wad approching.

Then she sensed something else coming towards them. It made rattling sounds in her head, so it had to be dangerous as well. That was just great. Just what she needed - more company. The rattling sounds grew louder and louder, just as the dragon opened its mouth to devour her... Or to just kill her.

Out of nowhere, something attacked the dragon. The beast lifted its head with a thundering roar, stumbling away as it fought to deal with its new enemy. Janine looked up and noticed the attacker to not be a dragon, but something more her size - but furrier?
What was Janine witnessing? It wasn't a man, for she heard snarls and barks mixing with the dragon's roars.... A dog? No, too big. Janine took another glance and narrowed her eyes. The body frame was much more muscular, and bigger than a wolf, but it was still standing upright-ish.... Like a....

Janine gasped as she backed away from the fighting beasts. Was it really? Janine's thoughts were dashed away when a horse's neighs disrupted her. She gasped and turned her head a issue was nudged and bumped, immediately assuming it was Venus due to the dark coloring.

"Venus! You got away! You...." She stopped when she took a careful look to the entire form of the horse. This one didn't have the slender frame of her own equine partner. This one was different - it was more bulkier and muscular than Venus.
Janine tilted her head and took a look at the animal. It was familiar looking.... A moment longer, and Janine realized it was the same horse that she complemented on earlier that day - it was that man's horse, from the tavern. So if this was his horse, then where was he?

"You're that man's horse from the tavern.... What are you doing out here alone? What, you want me to ride you?" Janine asked incredulously. She lightly sniffed the air as she hesitantly mounted the horse, noting that the man's scent was fresh. He couldn't have gotten far. The armor that clicked against her atested to that theory.

She looked on the side of the horse and noted the bright red coloring. Was the man injured? He had to be found if he was here laying in the dirt, injured and unable to get back to civilization. She looked up and took notice of the two beasts fighting, and then looked forward towards the treeline.

She must get the others. The other Knights were going to rush over here - it was impossible for the people of the town to not hear the fight that is happening out here. She grabbed the reins to steer, but didn't get the chance to move thanks to the foot that stomped right next to the horse and Knight. The force of the stomp lifted the horse and rider off the ground for a good few inches.

"Shit!" Janine shouted as she ended up wrapping her arms around the horse's neck.

~~~~~~~~~​

The bipedal dragon roared as it was being assaulted by a large creature. It shook its head around in a desparate attempt to get the assailant off their face, but it proved to be a little difficult. Claws dug into the skin, causing pain in the neck area, and weight on the front of the snout - this development was making the dragon furious.

When it opened an eye to see the creature about to strike their eye, it burst into action and swung it's entire body to the right to ram its head right into the nearest tree. It had no qualms about how hard it was forcing the wolf into the tree, and kept doing it over and over - it even scraped it's head against the tree to force the splintery bark against the beast's back.

It eventually caught sight of the color red on the werewolf's leg, and gave a small growl as it realized that this beast was already injured. It lifted a couple of claws and racked them over the existing wound, then backed its head away to avoid any more scratches and let the beast fall from a generous height.
 
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Chestnut stared at the woman with her large equine eyes and groaned. No, she was standing her for the sheer crazy love of the situation. Course she wanted the woman to mount up and she had wanted the woman to do it quickly. A demon was not one who had time to waste. Unless of course, you were a demon trapped inside the form of a horse. She did find it amusing to be mistaken for another horse and decided that 'Venus' wouldn't have been the worst name for her either.

The demon horse was glad when the woman finally got into the broad saddle and she could tell instantly the woman was used to a more slender one indicating the woman's horse was of a lighter build. She snorted before she raised her head, staring at the dragon competing with a werewolf on its face.

She pawed the ground in concern worried the dragon would kill her friend and that meant she would have to find someone else to try and fix her problem of being trapped. She doubted any natural born human would attempt such a dangerous feat. The ground shook and she shrieked aloud with surprise as her legs left the ground. She could feel the woman hug her neck and trusted she would stay on as she took that to be her cue.

Chestnut entered at a canter towards the tree line, sniffing out where the other dragon was and the other more frightened horse. There was some sense of loyalty in the woman's horse it would seem but Chestnut couldn't be sure. She had to fight the flighty nature of the creature she was in every other day. All that mattered was getting the woman out of the forest and worrying about her little wolf later.

--

Raban growled, his claws sinking desperately to keep his hold on the scaly hide of the beast. It was a fortunate thing that werewolves had sharper claws than their quadrupedal lupine brethren. He succeeded at least in being a distraction and the dragon's focus shifted to him. He almost reached the eye before he felt himself being slammed against the tree. He hung on for a while, pain splitting at his back and knew that when he eventually returned to human state, he was going to be sporting some lovely bruising patterns.

He heard it growl and the tone nibbled at him before he realised what the Dragon's had growled for. He howled as fresh pain struck at his leg. His claws released their hold and he fell down. Had he been human, the fall would have been fatal. However, his supernatural sense kicked in and he turned in the last few feet before he landed heavily. A crater of leaf litter flew about his landing.

He stared upwards at the dragon and howled at it before he ran into the forest a short way before stopping to look back and taunt it further with short barks and various other insults he could dream up of. All he needed to do was distract it, pull it away from the area and then somehow make it lose him.
 
Janine held on to the horse's thick neck as it sped through the forest. She panted as she scanned the somewhat blurred forest, trying to spot multiple things at once - one being the injured dragon, the second being her own horse, and the final being the larger dragon that was fighting the furred beast.
She still wanted to see the outcome of the battle, and wanted to get a good look at the dragon's attacker - which just happened to be her savior. If it didn't come at the time it did, she would've either had to change into her other form, or risked fighting in her human form, which would've been a suicide run.

Janine's thoughts were ruined once again, but this time, it was the shrill neighs of a horse that distracted her. Turning her head to the left, Janine caught sight of her own horse, Venus, as she sped down the small hill just outside the treeline. Janine gasped and smiled, relieved that her equine friend was safe and running around.
Venus' ears were flattened, and Janine first thought that it was because she was running for her life, but then she remembered her horse's behavioral quirks. Shit, she had to be going for the man's horse. Janine let go of the neck and turned around in the horse sattle, making sure she wasn't touching and knocking stuff over. Venus neighed harshly, baring her blunt teeth and making attempt after attempt to nip the thicker horse's rump.

"Hey! Knock it off! This one is a female Venus! And we have other pressing matters than this! Knock it off Venus!" Janine shouted. Venus lifted her ears and seemed to pause in her actions, her nostrils flaring as if she was sniffing the air. When it seemed that Venus gathered her own facts, she opted to run faster to stay beside the horse and Janine, neighing at her and shaking her head.

Of course, Venus still wanted Janine to ride her instead. She chuckled and shook her head before looking ahead. She still had to get her own stuff to fight the dragon. She nodded and stayed on the horse she was on, grabbing the reins and hanging on tighter.

"Let's go home first. I still have my stuff at home," Janine said to Venus as she steered the horse toward the direction of her house.

~~~~~~~~~~​

The dragon looked down at the fallen wolf, taking the time to assess its own wounds. It felt the blood pulse out of fresh splits of flesh, even feeling when the droplets fell off its skin. Using those sensations, it was able to gauge where the wounds were. It almost had its eyes gouged out - never had anything been so close to doing that. The mere thought of it made the dragon even more furious. If it was a fire dragon, dark puffs of smoke would've came out its nostrils to match its growing rage.

The barks and snarls seemed to be of a taunting manner, and that made the dragon tap its foot claw as it tried to make a rational desicion. But rage seemed to keep seeping through, and it bled into its thoughts. At the moment, all it wanted was to kill the vile furball, and feel it squirm under its feet.

Yes. Yes, it shall do that.

With a thundering roar, the furious dragon made several steps towards the werewolf, but a surprise attack from a larger source threw it off guard. It was the second dragon, and it began to claw and slap at the dragon's hide.

It roared in pain again, and struggled to keep itself upright as the younger dragon assailed it. The dragon snarled and raised a paw to stab at the dragon on its back, which, while it did make some contact, didn't do the damage necessary to get it off. It slammed into trees with its back, which did something beneficial for the dragon, shaking the already flimsy balance of the younger dragon. It noticed the actions to be working, so the dragon kept hitting trees until the smaller dragon fell off the dragon's back, tumbling down the hill that was just after the treeline.

The dragons were at that moment out of the forest, now a mere hundred or so yards from the humans.

The weakened dragon got up and faced the furious, yet now wounded dragon, watching as the larger one began its decent down the hill. In a final desparate attempt to ward off the dragon, it inhaled and breathed out vibrant blue fire, making a large circle with said flames, and keeping itself in the center of a circle of blazing blue inferno.

The dragon roared once again and stalked the ring of fire, keeping its senses out for any outside threats as it searched for any opening.
 
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Chestnut's broad hooves thundered over forest floor and eventually over grass. Her legs reached further once open ground spread across the flat allowing her to go faster than before. Even though she wouldn't have the speed of a racing breed, her bulk still moved quickly along. The demon felt no particular direction on the reins that she was forced to endure in the time Raban had to main a pretence, so she kept on the straight, heading back for town. It was a place of relative safety. She had no illusions that should this gargantuan have mind to do so, it would level the town without so much as an afterthought.

It was then she became aware of another presence and with a glance of her large head, she realised it was the woman's horse. She snorted and carried on regardless with the sound of her hooves striking the hard earth and Raban's armour clanking alongside her flanks.

"Oh for... Really? Now?!" she thought to herself well aware how much her friend needed to keep his focus on the dragon. She felt the woman shift and move about on her broad back. She gave other snort through large, flaring nostrils and a large velvety mouth. Now was not the time for a prideful horse. The demon was privately fuming but kept her heat to a bare low. She knew the woman would be suspicious enough when she wondered at why a Knight was without the protection it gave him or the absence of him completely. She didn't need her horse giving her a moody eye on top of that.

Chestnut carried on and eventually glanced to see the other fall into her stride next to her. It made her remember her own bulk as she realised the other was of a smaller lighter build. Built more for speed than for endurance. She snorted briefly before she felt movement on the reins and then a moment later felt a more commanding tug.

"Blast this thing!" she groaned but true to the need of pretending to be nothing more than what she was, she obey the turn, her striding hitching for a brief moment to correct her direction and thundered on once more to where this new rider was directing her to.

---

Raban shook himself and glanced at his bloodied leg that twitched and bled under him. He could still use it despite his pain and the damage and that was a good sign. He would have to wait till he had healed a little before changing back but he would need rest for a long time afterwards. He snorted, it was all part of the job. He understood the risks he was taking.

He stared back up again and knew he had the dragon's attention. To have gotten as close as he had and not feel the dragon's wrath would be a miracle of God. He could see the dragon was mad as all hell and he tensed himself, ready to run and bound away at moment's notice. He howled and barked again and again to continue to provoke the other into following him.

The dragon began to move and he bounded away a leap or so before something made him look back. Frowning, the lycanthrope rose to a bipedal stance, allowing him a higher point of view. His ears drew back with irritation. What was the young dragon thinking?! He stared in wonder as he watched the younger grapple with the older one. Raban was caught off guard, it was a move he had not anticipated and he wondered behind the dragon's reasoning.

He growled as he noted they were moving for the treeline and sure enough were soon out of it. He would need to change back to cry a warning in a tongue the dragon might understand but it would leave him defenceless. His sword and armour were with Chestnut and quite likely the woman who had gotten mixed up in the whole affair. That he could not do.

Raban cocked his head to one side as the fire encircled its owner and grinned as he realised what it was attempting. He doubted it would last once the older one worked it out but he was caught in a dilemma. His duty was to protect humanity but he was also something humanity would fear, hate and hunt down should they ever learn of his existence.

The black furry humanoid wold snarled in his indecision before he moved to the trees and bounded up one of the oaks where he had a clean view of the two dragons and the space around him. He needed to wait for an opportune moment where he could tempt the big one back into hiding. He wondered, maybe if they just kept harassing it... it may decide to leave of its own accord to lick its wounds and recoup. He would have to risk being seen. His duty and oath to protect humanity came before self preservation.

The wolf bunched his muscles and got ready for another leap as he waited for the right moment before his calculations of strength needed to make the distance fell within his preference. Limbs straightened before his frame propelled itself and he landed halfway down the big dragon's back. He sunk his claws in and bit, hoping the other dragon would perhaps pick up on the fact he had aid, otherwise this was going to be a very bad day indeed.
 
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Blood dripped onto the green grass as the long clawed dragon stomped around the ring of fire. Its eyes shone with irritation and rage - How dare this little hatching of a dragon manage to inflict such wounds on their hide? However, the only reason the little insolent dragon took it off guard was because of that strange furry creature.... It distracted them in the first place... But before that, there was the female human... too many interferences.

There was the small chance that it would have to retreat, but most of the dragon's body refused to let this attack go unpunished. Not to mention, this was a fight to the death. The dragon glanced behind itself and saw the unmistakable sight of shiny humans on their animals.

Damgar.....

Knights. Flashbacks of the last encounter with knights flared up in the dragon's mind. A lowly growl flowed out its throat. So they're still crawling around the land. A problematic setback. But one that the dragon would have to deal with for the moment.

But first, it had to coax out the dying hatchling from that protective ring of fire.... Or just get rid of the fire itself. Whichever came first.
A small idea came to its mind, and it pondered on it with whatever time they had. If it worked, the battle could be won by killing two enemies with one blow.

Just as it had decided on what do, a sudden weight descended on its back once more. A roar of pain and anger echoed across the grassy field as it tensed in pain; with angry eyes, the dragon saw that the furry beast had come back for a second time.
Now there was no mercy from it this time.

The dragon shook its back to get the werewolf in the right spot. If this went right, the creature wouldn't be a problem anymore. The dragon craned it's neck to snap at the black beast, hoping to either position the werewolf correctly, or to just get the Knight between its jaws to kill him once and for all...

Whenever it felt that the werewolf was in the center of its back, the dragon would flex the sharp back spines upward like a porcupine, hoping to impale the creature and get it off their back.

But the dragon couldn't keep all its attention to the beast clawing up their back -- the dragon hiding behind the fire blew spouts of fire at the taller beast, trying to burn the dragon's feet while it was distracted.
It roared in anger, but dodged the fire with decent speed. The thundering sounds of the army of humans made the dragon bare sharp serrated teeth - at this point, it wouldn't live to see the next day, with all this damage being dealt by multiple enemies. But, it hasn't been the first time it had to deal with multiple enemies at once. It just had to get rid of the one on their back. It was be a huge risk, but it could handle it.

It looked to the beast on its back. Whether it was impaled or not, it would have to make a choice once again. The dragon gave a small sort of growling smirk as it started to fall backwards, letting gravity take it down to the ground. It spread its wings out and braced itself, a thudding sound reverberating in the air as it finally hit the ground.

The dragon panted as it reeled in the force of the fall, and tucked in its wings as it rolled over on its belly. The smaller dragon was wise, as it didn't try anything that time. The humans were close upon the dragon, and the beast narrowed its eyes as it got up on its feet.

Right. Time to remind the inferior little monsters why this dragon was to be left alone.

~~~~~~~~~​

Janine looked back briefly to see the dragons now in the open field. Damn it. She needed to hurry and get back out here to protect the people of Amastad. By this point, the dragon alarm had sounded, and the people were running around and taking cover in a panic, running over the place to get to their houses or cellars. The Knights were dressed and ready for battle, and they charged out of the town and into the field with battle cries on their horses.
She ran down a pathway that was swarming with people, and pulled the reins to stop the horse. Fuck. The people needed to get out of the way! Her house was just a little ways away, but she couldn't go anywhere if she was blocked.

She had to go down a less crowded area, if there was such a thing. With a tug to her right, Janine led her temporary horse and Venus towards a dark alleyway. Thankfully, it happened to be wide enough to accommodate a horse's size.... Even the horse that Janine was riding on had a bit of space for their shoulders.

When she ran down multiple alleyways, she turned to the left and ran right in front a horse-carried cart. A close call. When she finally got home, Janine leaped off the horse and was instantly reminded of the wound on her leg. She groaned and panted a little, but she shook the pain off and ran inside the house.

"Janine! The alarm is going off! What's happening?" Her mother asked.

"Mom, there's no time! There are a couple of dragons on the outskirts of the town, and I need my weapons,"

Janine said as she grabbed her chainmail armor. She slid it on and figured that it was more important for her to cover her chest area rather than worry about her legs - she already got nicked there, and she needed to be swift. With a sigh, Janine grabbed her sword and took in hand, then this contraption that looked like a strange modified bow. She was able to put it around her shoulders with a strap, and ran back towards the door.

"Stay safe mom! Stay away from big objects and hide yourself!" Janine shouted as she ran out the door. She instinctively leaped towards Venus and mounted her, where her horse briefly nickered with satisfaction. Janine turned to the man's horse behind her, and wondered on whether to bring her or not. Considering the man's size, he wouldn't be able to ride on Venus' back with her steering. She had to bring the horse if she was to find the man, and considering that he was most likely a Knight thanks to the armor on his steed's back, she also needed to take in consideration of a comrade and their wellbeing.

But then again, she had her other form to change into, and that form was very fast to travel by. She would just change into a human right before she got to the treeline.
With that as a possibility, Janine got off her horse and grabbed the reins of the other horse. She took her to Venus' post and tied a good knot out of the reins to the sturdy post.

"I'll find your owner, don't worry. I just can't have you running around in a panic while this fight is going on either. You might hurt yourself," Janine said as she stroked the horse's long face.

She ran back to her own horse and slapped the reins, signaling to Venus that it was time to move. The slender horse neighed and galloped into the crowded streets again, leaving the horse tied up for the second time that day.
 
Blood rushed through, he let anger rush through his system and it was easy enough to feed into himself. There was plenty to be angry at and it was mostly how Raban vented any pent up feelings that were of a negative nature. His sharp claws tightened their hold and he bit again as soon as he dared before his ears pricked up. There it was in the wind, the faint cries of people calling the town to arms, screams of womenfolk that had seen the monstrous beasts on the horizon of their home, and the beats of hooves that marked the fact more would enter this bloody fray. He and this young dragon had to get this dragon to leave sooner then ever.

He snarled as the back shook side to side like a wet dog and he was jiggled about as claws lost their hold briefly before he snatched out, claws catching scale again. Raban realised he was being jerked to a particular direction. He held himself on his fours and shifted back again, snarling and biting as much as a rabid animal might in a scrap. He yelped in pain as a dorsal spike rose and punctured through his hide, another scraping at it. He shifted himself again, more alert and more aware.

Triangular ears flicked as he held on by his claw tips. The more damage he could the better and there was a small amount time in which to get it done. He trusted the Order to help out but hoped that anyone untrained for dragon warfare stayed to defend the town. He also had to be careful if he survived this ordeal that he didn't become a target himself. Well, more than he was now, at least.

Then his world began to tip. The wolf froze unsure what this meant but it wasn't long before he saw what the beast under him had in mind. Hungry yellow eyes looked down the back, neck and top of the head and snarled before he ran up its length, claws scratching as they went before he lost his grip of his prey altogether. With an angry snarl, he fell beneath the giant and scrabbled for an area that would not crush him completely. Even with just a neck, its weight was jarring and he remained quiet still for a good moment as the behemoth rose to its fours.

Eventually the head slid from its protected curl and stared outwards to the field ahead. Hooves struck into the earth and he sighed. They were close. There was no containing this. He still had to understand whyt the younger had attacked. Perhaps it thought it was helping or saving him. He sighed, if it had been for the latter, the attempt was a fail. He was ultimately not a creature worth saving.

He forced himself to his feet and scrabbled behind a leg for cover hoping the larger one would be too concerned with the new threat to remember the mischief maker.

---

Chestnut snorted and huffed as she felt her mouth being tugged left and right. It wasn't hard and from this she knew this woman respected her horse but it also was not something she enjoyed so much. The way to where they were going soon became blocked with people. There came another tug and Chestnut turned right into a less crowded street. She kept to the centre line as much as she could, there wasn't much room.

After that she was allowed to up her pace before they reached their destination. She snorted and tossed her head as the woman got off. This left Chestnut pausing, trying to decide whether to gallop back for her friend or await this one. It would look odd if she was seen running off without an owner and not for the first time did she curse her state of being. Had she been free, she could have roasted that dragon in her demon-fire.

She looked at the flightier horse and bared her teeth at it before stamping a hoof. Confound this stupid form. Why could she not have been at least something of a greater use?!

The woman returned as suddenly as she had left and Chestnut stared at her a moment. She snorted and turned her head towards the way they had come. It might look less odd if she was in tow. She then felt her reins being pulled over her head and was tugged towards some kind of post. "No! No, how dare you! You filthy meatsack!" she tried to protest, pulling at the reins but they didn't release from their knot. She stamped her hooves even as she felt holds stroking at her head.

"Don't you know what I am...?! Fire and brimstone! Go help Raban, you fool!"

Of course, her cries went unanswered and unheard as she was forced to remain behind. She tried again and again to free herself from these stupid reins but to no avail.

"The meatsack has tied me up! Raban! You hear me!?"
"I... hear you... Little busy right now... Hold tight,"
"Like I can do anything else!" she snapped back but she knew his mind voice well enough to know he was in some serious amount of pain.
 
Janine raced through slightly less crowded streets as the townspeople fled deeper into their town. Venus was quick to touch green grass again, and Janine saw a good handful of Knights racing towards the large dragon. She was slightly worried, not for the ability of the Order, but for the ability of the dragon. Something was odd about the beast - the attributes were vaguely similar to something she had heard about...

Then it hit her - the old Knight's tale. The long claws, the vicious attitude.... It was that dragon....! It was that dragon. The one that Sir Keigal and the more experienced Knights nicknamed 'The Hidden Death'. There was something else that he told the people about it....

But she couldn't think up of what it was. She hoped it would come to her before it was too late. She slapped the reins once again, spurring Venus on to run faster - once she was there she could help her comrades, since she was up close with the dragon. If the man's tale was accurate, this beast will not hesitate in slaughtering the Knights that are preparing to fight it.

When she was almost there, the dragon flapped its wings and glared at the charging humans. Was it preparing to fly away? She wasn't too worried about that, as the knights would surely make sure to keep it on the ground. But then, she saw small details that said otherwise - most notably, the way the dragon's neck was craning. Oh shit. It was about to release a burning flame, and incinerate the whole group.

She shouted as loud as she could to warn her fellow knights, but they were still too far away from her. She cursed and aimed to get closer, but she was too late - the dragon had released its deadly breath, but not in the way in the way she was expecting.

~~~~~~~​

With the original plan in mind, the dragon spread out their wings and flapped them with power, steadily weakening the fire with the gusts of wind. The younger dragon gave increasingly worried growls and warbles, thinking it's only line of defense was going to be destroyed. But when the dragon turned its head around, the humans had gotten closer.

Perfect. It slowly inhaled, letting air flow into its nostrils - the chest expanded as well, showing the capabilities of the larger dragon's lungs. It glared at the small army of humans before it let out its signature attack - the horrible sound that was its modified roar.

The hyper-roar quickly reached the Knights, where it made them suddenly halt in their tracks. The men shouted as their eardrums were assaulted by the sheer power of the roar, the pain causing them to be unable to do anything. It was the same for anyone that was in close proximity to the dragon, but the Knights were getting the worst of it. Even the young dragon was reeling from the power of the sound, though it was more of an extremely uncomfortable ringing in its ears and slight blurring of its vision due to being behind the larger foe.

While still on all fours, the dragon flapped the wings a couple more times, weakening the flames even further. It then stood on two legs and rushed the disabled knights, claws outstretched once again. With its roar still blaring, the dragon aimed a wicked claw at the lead Knight's horse, impaling it and tossing it at the huddled humans.

It stopped the roar when it heard the smaller dragon roaring. With a vicious snarl, the dragon ran towards the weaker dragon and leaped up in the air, aiming itself directly above the other. The younger dragon roared in surprise and fell on its back, exposing the softer underbelly to its fate. When it came down, the vicious dragon pierced the long claws through its chest on one side, forcing an agonized roar out of the dying dragon. With a snarl, the other hand forced its other claws through the chest from the opposite side, speeding up the process. The dragon made a final attempt at breathing fire, expanding its chest to do so, but the dominate predator growled and opened its jaws to clamp the sharp teeth around the neck - blood squirted onto the ground as the dragon choked from a combination of a lack of air and the rapidly growing pool of blood in their throat.

The larger dragon watched the life from their younger opponent's eyes, satisfaction clear in their actions. They pried their bloodied claws out of the chest, and muttered something to themselves. It turned to raise their head and saw the humans recuperating.

The dragon growled and opened their deadly mouth, huffing and puffing in preparation to give them a second round of deafening soundwaves.
The roar was cut short when something wrapped itself around the dragon's snout, the force of the mystery object jerking the head to the left. The dragon was genuinely baffled at the tight material that had wrapped itself around their mouth, trying as hard as it could to tear at the material, but to no avail.

As deadly as the claws were, they were awkward when it came to actions that required acute precision - the binds around their snout were tight, and required for a more lax time frame than what it was currently given. The dragon would never allow for such a weakness to come forth, and just decided to fight despite its strongest weapon being disabled.

The dragon turned in the direction the mystery object came flying in, and barely saw that same human from earlier barreling after it. The dragon snarled and wielded their claws and wings, challenging the human with the same confidence as it would if it wasn't bleeding in various areas of its body.

~~~~~~~​

Janine's head was still reeling from the powerful roar the dragon dished out. Such power, and she wasn't even that close to the beast. She even felt the anxious panic rise within her, fearing that she'd be deaf, or even dead before the day ended. But she had to protect her fellow Knights from any more the dragon's devastating attacks, or else risk putting the kingdom in danger.

She saw the monster of a dragon make the final attacks on the other dragon, feeling a piece of her heart ache for the life that was lost. In her eyes, it had valiantly tried to fight back an enemy nearly twice its size, but it unfortunately failed. A young life was lost, one that would've surely lived longer than her had the creature not met an untimely end.

In spite of this, she was a Knight, and she had to do buisness with the other one that was left. She fired a weapon that was for an occasion as this, and it hit her mark. The projectile was tough rope with medium sized metal balls at their ends, designed to wrap themselves around a target and weigh them down. The dragon seemed surprised that its favored weapon of choice was sealed off, and was forced to fight with the rest of its body.

But Janine was not about to prolong the fight anymore. She had to either ending or drive the beast back to whence it came. The dragon launched their long bloody claws at her, but Venus used her agility to dodge them. Janine took her sword and sliced the blade against the ankle of the scaled beast, causing it to stumble as it gave a muffled roar in pain. Turns out that the beast couldn't fight anything that was directly under it, so she kept aiming at various parts of the legs - ankles, toes, heels, and anything else.

It seemed that she had the upper hand in the unusual fight, until the dragon decided to turn on the dime and slap her off her horse with their scaled tail. She cringed as she rolled in the dirt, for she landed on her injured leg with a bit of weight, causing pain to shoot up her leg. The dragon raised a foot to end Janine's life, but then yet another object enters an already opened back wound. The dragon winced and turned their head, and was face to face with the Knights that were still there. They charged at the dragon, and it saw that it had to fight even more enemies than it had originally intended.

Janine could sense that the dragon was beyond furious at how it was being outsmarted and outplayed, and she thought that the rage would be enough to spur on a rampage, but the dragon backed away slowly. It growled angrily at the humans before running off, heavy footsteps receding back to the forest. Janine watched intently as she stood on her feet, until cheers distracted her from the forest. She smiled and turned to the other men, cheering along with them until she felt an ominous presence emanating from the trees.

Sure enough, when she turned around Janine saw the glowing green eyes of the dragon glaring at her - and only her. She tightened the sword that was still in her grip, unsure of whether to warn the others or to wait it out. To her massive relief, as quickly as it came, the green eyes left her sight, disappearing into the shadows once again.

Janine released the breath that she had subconsciously held in her chest, and nervously put her sword back to its hilt. This wasn't going to be the last the Order sees this dragon. Not in her lifetime anyway.
Shrill cries of a horse pull her attention to the left, and Venus is soon running up to her. Janine nuzzles her horse and pats her on the back, silently comparing the slender body of Venus to the thicker body of the other horse she rode earlier.

Then it hit her - the other Knight! She had to find him! Without anything to protect him from the dragon if it found him, he'd be dead before the sun went down. Without any hesitation, Janine went to her horse and raced off to the forest before anyone had stopped her. She made sure to be cautious and hyper aware of her surroundings, for she didn't want to attract the dragon's attention again.
 
He stayed close to its legs as much as he could. Attacking it from above had shown itself to be problematic and the wolf was working it out. He felt more like a little baby compared with this great beast. He could tell it was no normal dragon. It was old and wily, like a fox with scales.

Without warning his hearing was assaulted and it was painful. More painful than his physical wounds. His clawed hands clamped over soft triangular ears as his maw gave out a howl of pain, his frame crouching in an effort against it. The howl cut through the din to indicate his presence well enough but the large beast seemed more focused on the knights. He watched with despair as horses and men came to a halt in confusion and then one went flying.

The beast took to the air leaving Raban exposed to anyone who was looking at him. However, it seemed the dragon was keeping the attention of those Knight's left. They were in the same pain as he was. For him, he imagined it was worse. His hearing was acute, ears directional, and as such the roar had been as good as stabbing at him with a barbed blade.

The younger dragon was done for. There was no way it could have hoped to prevail but Raban would honour it. It had put up a good fight against one of its own kind who was nothing like its own kind by all appearance. A sound-wave was something unheard of but it explained why he had not been turned into a burnt critter sooner.

Raban stood low on crouched legs that shook with the sheer effort of the pain wracking through him physically and mentally. His jaw hung loose exposing slightly yellowing teeth that spoke of his age. His kind aged slower as a result of the wolf's healing process. That would require somewhere quiet though, somewhere without the fear of this thing snapping him up for a snack or have the knights nearby see him and choose him for an easier target.

He picked up on a newcomer and glanced in the horse's direction. It was that woman again. Without Chestnut. He sighed, Chestnut hated being tied up to anything she couldn't get out of. He knew the only reason she was not tearing a post out of its hole was to save her identity. He had never had any qualms about her priority of position. He had accepted it long ago. He backed up staying low and trying to keep out of sight as the dragon turned to face her. It was presenting him with a view of its leg and the werewolf tilted its head to one side.

The woman had seemed to have reached the same decision as he watched her attack its limb. Limbs it could not protect quite so easily. He gave a wolfish grin and shook himself before he lunged for a tendon of a hide leg aiding her as best as he could with vicious shaking of his head once jaws were clamped around scaly flesh and unpleasant meat. He heard shouts nearby and cursed. The Knights nearby were recovering and he heard one to make a cry of disbelief. That was either about the dragon or himself and he couldn't afford the risk that it had been about him. He chanced a look and ears lay flat as he knew then it had been for him.

He let go and backed off again as he felt the dragon reach a decision it should have reached ages ago. He growled and turned bounding away back to the forest. He would need to find a good secluded place to hide, to change back and then somehow find Chestnut. It would be safer for Chestnut to have come to him but until she was freed or freed herself without raising suspicion, he was alone. He growled, peering at his wounds which still bled throughout the fight. He was not looking forward to changing back. Injuries were more manageable in his lycan state but it would stand to reason the woman would reach a conclusion about where Chestnut's rider might be.

He sniffed the air, wary of running into that dragon again as he moved through the trees. It was not long before he found a suitable spot in the husk of an old rotten tree stump. It offered protection and security, hiding him from view. Grunting, he initiated the change back to his human form. His glossy sleek black fur receded into his skin, which began turned from black to a tanned peachy colour. His limbs grew shorter and stouter before his ears slid back down to the side and his muzzled split back into a human nose and mouth. The entire process was excruciating and yelps, whines and howls turn into grunts and yells.

He was left in a tattered pair of breeches that barely stood for modesty and the moment he tried to curl into the rotten tree, they broke off and fell away. He peered at the wound in his side, his chest heaving with pain and breath which laboured quickly. He winced before clamping a hand over the hole where the dorsal spike had run him through. He bit back another yell of pain and rested, trying to stay awake.

"At least that's over..."
"Yes... but at what cost... Where are you?"
"In a tree... rotten tree... "
"That woman will be looking for you... She said she would. By fire and brimstone, I'll roast her filthy hide if she doesn't return with you, little wolf!"

The comment in his mind made him produce a pained smile, his head resting against the wall of the tree's internals. He was as vulnerable as a newborn but it was either this or risk everyone knowing he was nothing but a creature of nightmares and shadow. They would say he was a creature of hell, but true to their ignorance, werewolves were never such a fiend. Hell was reserved for demons and demon kind or familiars.

"Hold fast, little wolf,"
"Trying..."

He raised his head slightly when he heard the crunch of leaf litter but he had no way to tell if it was the dragon or someone else. It would not matter either way he supposed. He was in a bad way. His body felt as if he had fallen down a rocky slope of sharp jagged rocks, bruised and broken. He rested his head back down.
 
Venus galloped through the forest yet again today, but with a more safer purpose this time. Janine was beyond glad the encounter with the most dangerous dragon was over - she fought it and lived to tell the tale - but that wasn't without a souvenir. But depending on how ignorant people might want to act around her, the small gash in her leg could either tell the truth of a dragon story, or it would tell that the woman was trying to pass off a dragon story with a simple cut to her leg.

No matter. She didn't need giant scars or debilitating wounds to prove she was a Dragon Knight.

At first, she didn't have a single idea on how to find the man, but then she remembered the blood that she leaned on when she was on his steed. Lifting her opposite leg, she caught a spot of blood still on her, and she wiped the blood with her finger to bring it up to her fingers.

Now that she had the scent, Janine could keep an eye out for any danger.

"Come on Venus. We got to go slow now," Janine said as she diligently scanned the forest for a wounded man.

Thankfully, she followed the scent well enough, and she made it to a broken stump. Getting off Venus with caution, Janine looked around and softly sniffed the air. Was he really was close enough to her, or was the wind just carrying his scent?

"Hello? Anyone here?" Janine asked aloud. She gave it a minute as she walked around. She walked up to the stump and saw a man laying inside it; a few seconds longer and she realised that this was the man she was looking for.

"Thank goodness I found you! Oh hell, you're hurt! We need to get you back to town." Janine said as she studied his bloodied body and pulled him up with as much consideration as possible.

"Can you still ride a horse?"
 
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The wood was cold and sodden and felt clammy against his sweat-ridden skin. Changes were always the worst part and he knew he wouldn't feel himself again for a short while even with his wounds in consideration. He glanced up at the sky briefly gauging on how long he could withstand remaining hidden in the tree stump before he would have to risk walking the distance back to town. He wasn't sure he could. The dragon had done its best to ruin him, his leg was a lovely picture to look at but it had held his weight for the change well enough. He didn't fancy it and he would have to wait for some of his strength to return before he tried. Still, Chestnut had told him that he was being sought after. That raised hope.

He spat out blood to one side of him and grimaced. He had to look all sorts of pretty right now, he imagined. Out in the forest with no clothes and injuries to spare.

Raban remained as still as he could otherwise, not wishing to attract the dragon once more or a predator of another sort. He was easy prey and he knew it only too well. There was another tread in the leaf litter, followed by a gait of three. He frowned, that didn't necessarily mean a human but he had reason to believe it could be. If he was that dragon he would be licking his wounds, regaining his strength before returning with fury and working out how to not to be beaten again. He shifted, unwillingly grunting with the effort. Rotten wood dug into his back.

Thud. That's all he heard before it was followed by two more after it but lighter. A voice and he sank with relief that it was not the dragon that had found him. He tried to get up but his limb just would not respond. He grunted, "He-Here... Stump..." and cursed his change for another reason. Even though his body was human again, it sometimes took his mind a little longer and speech was always affected. Sounds of pain was a simple thing but articulating his words was problematic at best. He had to focus to speak properly.

He felt a shadow over him and he looked up recognising the woman from before. "Just.. a bit. Can't... say no to that..." this was going to raise questions. Questions he would have to deal with later. He grimaced and set his jaw as she helped him to his feet. He stumbled before he caught himself. He breathed heavily and shivered as a breeze brushed against dirty bare skin. He kept his hand clamped to the wound in his side. He looked at the woman's horse. It had been a long time since he had ridden anything as light as the mare but he nodded.

Raban coughed and cleared his throat, wincing, "Yes.. I can ride..."

Getting into the saddle was painful and he tried to keep quiet as much as he could as he was helped. They didn't need the dragon making easy pickings of them now. He bent over the saddle horn, trying to catch his breath, hand returning to his side as his eyes closed. He needed a moment even as he felt Chestnut's presence in his mind. His eyes opened again and he looked at Janine.

"Thank you.."
 
Janine smiled a little as the man went to her horse. He looked all kinds of fucked up: the wound on his side, the gashes in his leg, the overall weariness in his demeanor. Not to mention his lack of clothes. He'd been fighting a long minute, and while he survived whatever had attacked him, he was going to need a good amount of medical attention.

It was safe to say that this man had been dealt a good beating on his behalf. Venus gave a low snicker as she felt the heavier man on her back instead of Janine. The woman stroked her snout and tisked at her.

"Stop it Venus. It's only until we get to the town. Be nice," Janine scolded. She looked up to the man and smiled again.

"You're welcome. I apologise for my lack of another horse. Yours is a fine one, but I didn't want to run with two horses with all that chaos. Venus may be a knight's horse, but during times of chaos, she can run on her own for so long before panic sets in. And I didn't know how your horse would react with a stranger riding her for so long, so I tied her up on a post at my house for safe keeping.... From what I saw, she didn't really like it," Janine chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head.

The young woman then looked around her surroundings of the forest. Nothing familiar except for the faint scents of smoke and blood.... Either the dragon knew how to mask its scent, or they just aren't close enough in its direction to pick up its scent.
But.... She did pick up another scent.... Like a wild dog... A wolf perhaps? She growled slightly under her throat. Did they pick up the Knight's blood trail? She could barely hear the pitter-patter of lighter footsteps on the forest floor.

Goddamnit. This day was getting better and better.

"We might not have the luxury of talking and riding. Venus can only take one person at a time - you're a higher priority than me. Venus will take you to my house, unless you want to ride yourself to the other Knights and get treatment?" Janine asked.
 
He felt the horse beneath him shift and protest. He could not blame it much. He knew it could be a nice thing to have to bear a naked man on your back let alone one bleeding from serious wounds. He breathed deeply, trying to keep a check on it. He didn't want to tire out too fast. If he did, staying on the horse would be an issue. He was a burden enough as things was and he did not want to add to that.

She spoke and he stayed bent over for a moment as he listened. He eventually sat up again, hand stuck to his wound and took hold of the reins with the other, "She's... a high spirit... free spirit... I'm sorry if she destroys that post..." he smiled at her with bloodied teeth before he turned to the other side and spat out again.

Raban shivered again, goosebumps plucking outwards on his skin as he sat there on her horse. She seemed to be alerted by something and he grew uneasy. They would have to move soon. He was still bleeding out. He had completely misjudged the dorsal spines and he was paying for his mistake.

He nodded as he listened, "I'll... I'll try and get to the Knight's... " He said, not fancying what they would have to say with him showing up as naked as the day as he was born but his wounds would take precedence. He had been in the order for years and that would garner a positive reaction, he hoped.

"What... What about you?" he looked at her with concern. It was a fair walk or run back to town from the forest. He tugged gently on the reins hoping her horse would follow the command. He was used to never having to actually steer a horse with Chestnut for a mount but he hadn't forgotten how. He wasn't sure he would make it the entire way but he was determined to try.
 
Janine nodded as she heard the man's response. She somewhat hoped the post wouldn't be destroyed, but what could she do?

"It'll be okay. Don't worry about it. I only hope it'll stay up for your horse's sake."

Janine's concern for the man grew as she looked at him again. He was still bleeding, and the footsteps were growing closer. The sounds of rattles and hissing echoed in her head once more, confirming the suspicion of new enemies. She turned to the left to see a furry paw step from behind a bush. Venus stomped on the ground and snorted with anxiety.

Wolves. And there were more than one. One came out of a bush about twenty feet in front of the two knights and horse, snarling with sharp fangs as it snapped its jaws. Four more came from the sides, immediately trying to flank the three. Janine cursed and turned with urgency.

"No need to worry about me. Venus is already getting ready to run, so focus on that. I hope to see you in bandages and getting better when I come for my horse," Janine said with a small smile. She smacked Venus' flank and she neighed in surprise before galloping off, leaving Janine behind and heading towards the town.

Janine turned around and noted the other snarling wolves baring their teeth and snapping their jaws at her, and she was nervous at first - she wanted to see if she could ward them off with her own human body. But before she was fully ready, three wolves on her flank dashed off past her, their sights apparently focused on Venus and the injured man.

Oh no. The man couldn't fend off the wolves in his condition! Damnit. She just might have to change to keep the mutts off Venus. She was fast, but she had a heavier load this time - and the load was bleeding out. Those wolves would be stupid to not go after them. Her thoughts were interrupted when one of the two leftover wolves charged her. She instinctively lifted up her arm, which thankfully was covered by her armor, and deflected the wolf's attack. She growled and snatched the wolf off her by grabbing its ear, which earned a pained yelp from the animal.

Janine stood on her two feet and fronted the snarling wolf, hoping to deter it by standing her ground. But of course, what's a wolf when it didn't stand it's ground as well? Janine bared her own teeth and hissed at the wild canine, and it made it back up a little, only for it to bark and circle her.
The young Knight wasn't going to have it though, and she kept herself facing the canine, though that other canine as problematic.

The situation was quickly growing out of her favor, and she saw herself needing to do something to defuse the situation. The second wolf leaped on her back and pinned her down, biting at her shoulder only for it to be warded off by armor once again. The pin startled Janine, but she quickly grabbed a foreleg and yanked it down, making the wolf slip on the smooth metal plate. She rolled on her back and pulled the leg over to her mouth and bit down hard.

The wolf yelped and whined as it struggled to escape Janine's grip, but Janine used her legs to twist around the wolf's neck and prevent the wolf from biting her face. After a minute she let go, and got on her feet again to see the wolf limping away from her.

Janine growled at the unbitten wolf, and bared bloody teeth at it, making it tuck its tail and dash off in the direction Venus had ran. She sighed and looked towards the whimpering wolf, who had laid down while licking their wounds. It's fate had been decided - Janine bit down on the wolf pretty hard, and she was sure the venom was preparing to do its deadly affects.

Janine had no time though - she had to keep Venus and the man safe. She closed her eyes and imagined herself as her other form. Her body began its transformation; her arms grew longer and powerful like that of a spotted wild cat and her nails became sharp and curved claws; her neck grew longer and slender, while her legs grew long and muscular, like that of a hare. She sported a tail that rattled and she slammed it into the ground as her head morphed into a rattlesnake. She gave a hissing roar when she felt her transformation complete, hoping to scare off anything that might've been near her. Janine was huge, and she knew just from how far she was from the ground just standing there. Her spotted body was a colorful contrast to the darkness of the surrounding forest, but she wasn't worried about camouflage at the moment.

Her ears picked up on neighs from the distance. Venus. Right. Time to defend her horse and Knight comrade. The giant hodgepodge of a creature dashed off and ran as fast as she could, hoping she wasn't too late.
 
He nodded, he hoped so too. A horse charging off without a rider would raise all sorts of questions. Question both he and Chestnut would rather avoid completely.

Raban heard movement himself now and sniffed the air. Wolves. A large pack of them. Had he been healthy, he would not have been bothered by them. They were easy enough for him to scare off. Now however, he knew they were here for one reason alone. He was now their prey and they would hunt him till he reached town. This complicated matters. He had to stay on the horse else he would be dead.

He blinked and watched the wolves encircle them. He gripped the reins and hugged the saddle tighter with his legs ignoring the pain in his left leg as he did so. He looked at Janine and stared before he nodded, somewhat unconvinced but he was in no position to help her. He could not afford to change back now... she would know his truth if he did and he was too injured to wield a weapon now.

He made to speak but she smacked the horse's flank and he felt the animal lurch beneath him before taking to a gallop for the treeline. Raban cried out as the movement caused another shock of pain through his system but he held on for dear life. He glanced behind him, watching Janine disappear as he drew further away and then saw three wolves chasing after him.

"Come on, girl... Or we're both cooked..."

The wolves were catching up and it wasn't long before they were snapping at Venus' hocks. The horse neighed and kicked out before running on, slower to his heavier bulk. He looked past the neck of the horse and groaned, there was still too much distance between them and the town.

The movement too was not helping his injuries, his leg and side wound in particular. He was also starting to feel the effect of the blood loos. His head was woozy and he had to blink a few times to regain his focus. He must not fall. That was the only thought in his mind as he rode the horse onward. Fear of the wolves drove the horse on more than Raban's direction with the reins and he was not sure for how much longer he could physically hold on for.

"You'll hold on. Damn you. Don't you dare!"

Chestnut snapped in his mind and he grunted, blinking and fighting against his failing body. He had to make it. By now, he was bent low over the saddle horn, trying to stay on and ignoring the pain as much as he could as the wolves snapped and bit at the horse charging for the town ahead. He had no direction over the reins and thus he did not know where he was headed now.
 
The wolves snapped at Venus' flanks, making her jerk towards another wolf, who snapped at her again, putting her in this vicious cycle of jumping and biting. She tried to kick at a wolf, but it snapped too close to her leg for comfort, and she squealed in alarm.

The wolves may have been giving Venus a hard time, but they were really after the wounded man. One jumped a little higher than normal to get at his leg, but just missed him by a small margin. At this point, the two seems to be doomed at the paws of the pursing pack.

When the wolves began to close in on the tiring horse and her temporary steed, a strange roar broke through to the barks and growls from the wolves. The three canines paused in their attacks and sniffed the air, trying to figure out what the mystery creature was. To the left was the sound of heavier thuds; one would mistake it for a dragon, but glowing brown eyes from lower to the ground said otherwise.

The mysterious beast burst out of the shadows and leaped a good distance to the wolf closest to it, huge paws smacking the wolf's head straight into the ground. It yelped as it tumbled hard into the ground, making the total wolf count down to two left. Venus neighed and strained to move faster - the new beast was just as large as her, if not larger, and was much longer than her. A close look at the beast revealed it to have a serpentine head and neck, which could explain Venus' alarm. The serpentine creature opened its mouth and gave a hissing roar at it, prompting the racing horse to move to the right.

The mare jerked in the logical direction, and in turn, forced the wolf on her right flank to move to avoid being trampled. But this was in vain, as the new beast leaped clear over the horse and man to land right beside the wolf. It opened its wide jaws to reveal two extremely sharp fangs, and sank them right into the wolf's neck mid-stride. The wolf yelped in pain as the strange beast sped up a little, and after a few seconds, the wolf faltered in their gait before collapsing into the ground.

One more wolf left.

This last wolf tried to attack the beast that attacked its packmates, but the larger one was quicker and stronger. It opened its mouth to take a bite out of the serpentine creature's shoulder, but the larger beast just avoided them by falling back. Now behind the wolf, the serpentine beast extended a paw out, and with a powerful swipe, the wolf's leg was audibly broken. It howled in pain before it tumbled into a tree, where the wolf never moved again.

Now there was only the horse, the man, and the beast. Venus neighed at the remaining creature and leaned towards it, and the creature roared back at her. It snapped at her legs and hissed at the man, slitted eyes making contact with his. Then, it swiped a paw onto Venus' flank, claws outstretched, but not digging into her rump. Venus snorted and bucked her feet back. The hooves hit their mark squarely on the beast's chest, and it roared in pain as it tumbled to the ground.

After a hundred steps, the sun came out, meaning that the two had finally broke past the treeline and into the field. The town was right upon them, and upon realizing it, Venus slowed down a little, knowing that she was much safer now that she was our of the forest.
 
Raban ears were assaulted with the snaps and growls of the wolves and the shrill neighs from the horse he was on matched by the pain that was coursing though his body with each jump and other movement Venus was making in her bid to get away from their pursuers. He had to trust she would succeed in doing that.

He flinched as one tried to get at his leg and he tried to raise it higher out of reach as they raced on. He hunkered closer to the horse's neck, the ride painful and it was adding to the bruises that were beginning to show all over his bulk.

Something else grabbed his attention and his head turned to the left and behind him. It sounded bigger and he hoped it was not the cause of his wounds. He held on tighter before something big but un-dragonlike made an appearance and attacked the wolves chasing him and the horse. He stared openly, he had never seen a creature like this before. It was strange and a mix of a lot of things.

However, he didn't have the time to stare at this beast further as Venus jerked in a direction, catching him guard and he almost slipped from the saddle. He had to grab at the saddle horn with a bloodied hand with considerable force to pull himself back up. His breath shook with the adrenaline, pain and fear that ran through his system. He sensed a presence over them and then peered as the strange beast took on a wolf.

This was turning out to be a very strange day.

He looked behind them and watched as wolf was smacked into a tree and looked at the beast. Serpentine eyes met his own and he felt a shiver run through him. Very little had a potential to creep him out. He was a creature of nightmare and shadow himself but those eyes were unearthly. He felt the horse lurch again and buck beneath him forcing him to hold on tight again.

He knew at this point the adrenaline coursing through him was the only thing keep him conscious. He blinked as sunshine snapped into his vision and realised they were free from the forest. He felt the horse slow down and he reached to pat her neck.

"Good girl.... come.. on," he nudged her belly best he could as they moved towards the town. The town was still in a state of unrest and Knights were patrolling the town's outer perimeters. They paused as one pair spotted the rider heading for the town. They turned and once they were close enough for them to see the man on the horse a little better, they urged their horses to meet him. They were astonished to realise it was Raban and just as much to see how naked he was and that he was in a very bad way.

Raban barely remembered how he got from the back of the woman's horse to a bed in the infirmary. He could remember being stitched back together by a doctor and that it was mostly painful even after the concoction he had be forced to drink. Despite his state, he was still concerned about the woman and how she would get back to town. He also disliked being so far from Chestnut.
 
Janine panted heavily as she watched Venus run off with the precious cargo. The dulled pain that coursed through her body from her chest made her flip to her back, hoping that she could breath better. Venus kicked her pretty hard, but she had to do it in order to keep appearances up.

She couldn't have the man thinking that she was only after the wolves and not them as well. She found herself wondering what he might've thought of the strange creature that stared into his eyes as he rode on horseback.
Well, she had to get up now. She was almost out of the forest herself. Using this time to catch her breath, Janine walked the rest of the way until she was just before the treeline. Howling in the distance made her turn her head around, brown slitted eyes unblinkingly daring any more wolves to show themselves.

No, she had things to do. No need to go off killing all the wolves. With a sigh, Janine lowered her head and she shifted back into a human again. She didn't want to bothered with anyone, but she was concerned about her fellow Knight. But if she was right, and be was taken to be bandages up and whatnot, the nurse probably wouldn't allow him to have any visitors.

But she'd still want Venus back. Fine. She'd just have to go get her then.

~~~~~Later~~~~~​

When Janine had walked to the town's borders, the remaining men swarmed her and asked her the obvious questions. She answered them and asked for the injured man on her horse, and they told her that he was admitted to the infirmary. Good. She wearily walked all the way to the brown building and saw that her horse was actually still there, attached to a post near some water trough. Janine was pleased, as Venus had done a fair amount of running today, and she deserved a good ass break. When she walked up to the black mare, she neighed happily, pulling on her reins to greet her rider.

"I'm happy to see you too girl. You and me both had a crazy ass day. Sorry to have smacked you so hard earlier - I just wanted to make it real you know?" Janine said as she stroked Venus' face. The horse nickered in response. With one greeting out of the way, Janine went to the nurses and asked if she could see a wounded Knight. As expected, they said no visiting until later on, and to come see him in a couple of days.

Fair enough. She'd have time to report her series of events to Sir Keigal, and to take care of herself, her horse, and the man's horse until he was better. She thanked the nurse and told her to tell him that she came to say 'hi', and left the room. When she went outside, she told the other knights that she was going home to rest, and that she'd talk to them tomorrow.

With that, she walked all the way home with Venus in hand, betting that she was going to have the most restful sleep of her life after this.
 
Raban wasn't allowed out of bed and nor did he feel obliged to. Especially not with the mother hen inside his head telling him to stay still all the time. So he took the opportunity to just sleep through it all, barely conscious to when the nurse or doctor returned to check on his wounds. Whilst his leg had been sewn back together, the hole in his side was stitched in such a way as to allow pus to escape. His body was tired and bruised and he was out like a log for a good day or so. He was only woken up by a need to relieve himself or when the nurse's needed him to do something. It was a rare chance to be as absolutely lazy as a man could physically be. He slept for the longest time he could ever recall sleeping for and when he woke up, he could not tell if it was night or day, or what the time was. His room was basic, four creamy off-white walls which he stared blearily at. He had no idea it had been three days since the dragon had attacked.

He laid still on the straw bed, his skin felt clammy and he was dying for something to slake his thirst or at least wet his mouth. It was as dry as anything. He tried calling out for the nurse but his voice gave out, hoarse and dry and he gave up in the end. Sooner or later, they would come to poke and prod at him. He would just have to wait his turn, he supposed. He gave thought as to that strange, second creature that had attacked them and he had to wonder what it was, where it came from. He could not think of what it could be. The thought gave him much to think about as the hours passed with him confined to a bed, more or less.

Raban was also not looking forward to being asked questions. He knew they would come. His arrival had added to an already strange day for the Knights patrolling the town never mind the dragons that had fought each other. He wondered what had happened to the body of the young one. His eyes closed briefly. It was still unclear why a youngster would take on something far older and wiser than itself. Very rare for anything like that to happen. Even younger wolves knew when to not push their elders like that until they were sure they'd have the upper hand. he sighed, he may never realise that answer but the youngster had been brave, foolish yes, but brave.

--

Chestnut had not appreciated her stay at the woman's place. Sure she had been fed and cared for but she was happier when Raban was in close proximity. She had no idea how far away the infirmary keeping him was or she would have gone there herself. She pawed the ground, and had ignored the other horse to a large extent. The fire demon was not bothered by the mare. She herself was far larger and of a heavier build. Her kind were war horses and work horses for good reason. She had been in full charge in a battle before and had ploughed men down, often trampling them under hoof. Whilst her human wolf might have felt pity for them, she had not. Raban was the only humanoid she had extended any feeling of companionship with and that was born mostly from necessity. He had saved her when she had been newly trapped in a world she half understood at the time and often it was her word in his mind that stayed his lack of control in form when the moon did hold her sway.
 
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