Her body was numb, and her skin was pale from the blood loss.  She was losing power, and her vision grayed everynow-and-then.  Her head felt heavy.  Avatos could hear his boots clomping towards her and telling from the pace, he was coming at her fast.  Not yet... He needs to be out of here.  She groaned, and rolled her head in his direction.  She yelped as his boot kicked her face and she rolled further across the floor.  Her nose now broken.  Alcatrass watched her roll. That sudden burst of energy she had earlier was disappearing.  But he was more cautious than before.  If she was able to summon that much energy when angered, who knows what else she had hiding.  He sighed as she tried to get to her feet, only to fall her own blood again.  "What are you going to do?  You think cause you look pitiful I'm going to feel sorry for you?"  He cracked his neck, it was sore from impact earlier.  She didn't seem to move afterward.  A fire that was started from before when he first attacked the castle crackled behind her form.  He approached with slight caution, stopping three feet from where she lay.  "Are you dead?"  He felt an urge to poke her, see if she was dead for sure.  But his caution payed off as she quickly raised her head with mouth agape.  Revealing a bright green light.  It formed a gold ring outside her lips.  His eyes bulged, reflecting the growing size of the beam.  "Egh."  He stepped away, prepared to leap out of the way.  


  PUKERRT-BOOOOOMMM!!!!  

The painted glass pane above the kitchen shattered as Alcatrass' form was forced through it by the beam, a bright light errupting through the room, as the beam hit the a wall above the stove.  He was thrown into the wall, not far from the furnace.  His body smoking, Alcatrass coughed.  "God that fucking stung..."  He weezed.  Avatos' crippled form limped into the hole in the wall.  "I'mgt....  Noght done yetghh!"  She gurgled.  Blood dripping out from her jaws.  He glared up at her and pulled himself from the wall.  She jumped down from the hole, falling to the floor.  Alcatrass could hear her bones clacking against the hard tiled floor as she fell.  "Your graceful."   He muttered.  A wind suddenly picked up around him as prepared to finish her off for good.  He'd had enough games.  She sat up and stared at him, her eyes stressed and full of pure agony. She wanted to just stop this all, she wished to cry.  The pressure she felt on her head told her'd sustain more than just a broken nose.  


Shrapnel, pots and pans flew in her direction.  She raised her arms to deflect most of it.  She moaned, it took another vast amount of her rapidly depleting energy to do such a thing.  Alcatrass threw his hand foward and Avatos squealed.  She wiggled as she was brought into the air by an unseen force.  "NO!"  She screeched, struggling harder and sending blood everywhere.  Alcatrass huffed.  "Stop yer' squirming cause it's annoying me."  

"Release her!" An elderly voice shouted from behind him.  Alcatrass turned his head and gasped when something sharp inserted itself into his back.  His concentration broke and and Avatos fell to the floor once again.  Luckily, she wasn't too high, so the fall didn't quite hurt as much.  With the wind knocked out of him, He looked over his shoulder to see one of the small lizards with cloaks from before.  He'd shoved a rather large blade into his back.  "Why don't try picking on someone else asides from a female?"  Avatos looked up, panting.  Her eyes widened.  "DIGONA!"  Digona pulled away his hood, revealing his spiked head, he clacked his beak in distaste.  "Such dishonor."  He removed the blade and in one movement flipped it in his hand and made a horizontal slashing motion.  But Alcatrass quickly teleported away.  Digona's blade             
cut the air with the blade sang a sad melody.  "Cursed beast!  Why do you run?  Is it because you are a coward and nothing more?"  He hobbled over to Avatos and pat her head.  All the while listening for the reptilian creature.  "Avatos, I'll take care of him.  You go outside.  I mean it.  Run."  He panted, in his old age it was hard just to carry a sword let alone fight with one.  Avatos looked at him angrily.  "No  I brought him here, it's my fau--"  "Avatos get out of this damned castle.  One more attack and you'll die young miss!  NOW!  GIT!"  Digona had never sounded so fierce.  Alcatrass was now standing a few feet back, amused by the exchange.  He watched the female get to her feet and glance at him, she then turned and made a broken run for the door.  Digona turned.  "I may be old, but I can still fight."  

He raised his blood-stained sword.  Alcatrass felt a snicker rising. "Do you honestly think you'll kill me old man?"  The reptile shook his head.  "No I don't.  But how dare you.  She gave you a chance, there was something about you that she saw, something no one else could see...  She gave you hopsitality, and this is how you repay her.... You stay away from my daughter!"  He charged the stranger, swing his sword at his midsection.  Alcatrass rolled his eyes a faded from reality, appearing behind the old Archer.  But Digona heard and spun with surprising speed, swing his blade, it hit it's target and cut into the alien's stomach.  Alcatrass vomitted stomach acid and backed away.  "I guess I still have something left in me after all."  The old Archer grinned.  Alca's face twisted into a spiteful expression. "Not bad you old fart.  But I hate to break it to ya, but I don't die easily."  Digona watched as the creature stood, his body healing and snarled.  His beak began to grind.  "I know, I can see.  Impressive.  This will be good then."  Digona took a step back before charging him.  He let loose a war cry.


Avatos had made it to the stairs near the entrance to the castle.  She wanted to go back, to help Digona, but his sacrifice would have been in vain.  She squated down on the final step and buried her head into her hands.  And cried.  Her whole body quaked with waves of pain.  And she shook from her weak muscles.  Digona had given her time for a reason, so dispite her tears she pulled away some of her badly burned feathers from her ears.  She place three to her head, and four to her side.  She began to hum - more like rasp - a slow tune as the feathers glowed.  Melting into her skin.  Her side glowed as the hole shrank from the healing power and her side crackled as it sealed shut.  Her head felt normal too.  She only had six feathers left, she'd have to be wise if she were to use them.  "There you are!"  Alca's deep voice barked, Avatos jumped and looked up to see him running down the steps, not a scratch on him.  Her heart panged.  Digona...  Although unsure of the battle's real outcome, Avatos turned and ran for the exit, ignoring her yerning to help the old Archer.  "Come back here!"  He shouted ahead.  She kicked open the gate and rushed out, her beathing hitching.  Her side was still sore, but it was still healing.  "Aaah!"  Alcatrass had suddenly appeared in front of her.  "Gotha bitch!"  He grabbed at her with sharp claws.  Avatos screamed and spat a blast of hot air into his face.  "Garhhggg!!!"  He jerked away and she dove between his legs.  Crawling quickly off the ground and continued her run for the entrance.


"FUCK!!!"  He swore, turning around with a badly burned face, chasing her.  The sun burned her eyes as she ran out towards the flower field.  She squinted.  He followed close behind, and was growing nearer.  She continued her run till the trees came into view.  By now the two were a half mile away from the castle.  He's out in the open Avatos, strike now.  Her conscious spoke.  She frowned, baring her teeth and prepared for a sharp turn.  Alcatrass watched as the bird-like women turned on a dime and came at him.  Moist dirt and flowers kicked up in the air as she pushed off.  He then realised her intent, she wanted him out in the open. He picked up his pace and clenched his fist, ready to smash in her face.  As they closed in on each other Avatos ducked as Alca swung his fist with brute force.  She opened her mouth to it's full extent and all Alca was the inside of her mouth as she bit into his face.  The inertia cause their bodies to jerk and lift from the ground.  Flowers a grass flew around them in a bloody mess.  Spinning, they fell into the field.  He could feel her teeth working into his face, he grabbed her head and neck, trying to pry her loose.  She shook her head, relishing the flesh twisting in between her teeth.  "Aaaaaaaagggghhhhccck!!!"  He screamed, punching the Hen's stomach. "GET OFF!!!"  She let go of his freshly punctured face and wildly swung her strong arm, nailing him with her fist.  


Digona's body shifted under the rubble.  He sneezed away the dust clogging his nostrils and looked about the kitchen wearily.  His sword sat on a pile of rocks.  Badly bent.  "Oh dear..."  He huffed.  Disappointed his sword, Agenta, was so badly damaged.  

An impressed whistle came from withen the trees. Red and black feather ears pricked foward in the wind.  Blood red eyes watched the pair spar off.  "Now here's a site."  He commented.  He scratched his well toned abs.  Maybe I should help.  He doesn't look like he's from around here...  And plus he's hurting my lady....  Silkly black hair blew into his face, disrupting his fantasies.  "Pppth.  Shit."  He spat.