Chaos Intervenes [Site Plot Thread]

Try as Varian might to keep Violet from taking his bag, she successfully managed to get it away from him. Blue eyes were wide as saucers for just a few heartbeats when he realized that fact. This wasn't happening! It couldn't be! That bag held all the materials he needed to prove to Zira, Sabor, and everyone else that he had come on this mission for a reason! If she kept that from him, whoever she was, then it would surely be all over!

No,

    no,

        no,

            no,

                no,

                    no,

                    NO!

Not now! Not when he had come so close to doing good for the Cursed Thorns and proving once and for all that he wasn't just some kid. Scar had seen what he could do, so had Lorelei, but everyone else was waiting. Waiting for him to get off his ass and prove himself. That moment was almost entirely dashed the moment Violet yanked his satchel away, and he was not about to stand for it. Not as long as he drew breath. Determination flashed anew in his eyes and an anger that previously hadn't been there presented itself. His eyes were more like ice chips than anything else in that singular moment of him wishing to act on his desires.

Varian was fully prepared to try and shove Violet off of him as forcefully as he could, but as the fury burned in his eyes he caught sight of the blur that was Zira rushing in to help. Before he knew it, the lioness had lashed her claws out at Violet. Fury still gripped Varian tightly, but a moment's hesitation on his part left him playing witness to the blood coming from Violet's wounds and the girl reappearing.

His heart just about stopped when he caught sigh of her blood. Varian never had really been able to take the sight of the stuff. He felt his stomach knot and a sickened look momentarily took hold of his face while Violet's shriek echoed in the air around him. He only belatedly realized that Zira's impact against Violet's face had been enough to knock the girl off of him, and in her distress Violet had released his satchel. Now that he was free, Varian was able to get to his feet at last and he only had a short amount of time to do that much. A hurried, shaky 'thanks' was offered to the lion queen before he shook off his brief bout of nausea and got to his feet. Now he had a dilemma. He had to get to his satchel as soon as he could and finish his job, and he needed to avoid getting himself caught in too serious of a fight with this girl who could disappear at will.

This would be interesting.

"Whatever you do," Varian told Zira, "don't let her get to my bag!" Varian realized shortly after shouting that much that it would be ridiculous to give Zira orders, but she seemed to understand the situation at least. He didn't waste time after that. Fury for what had happened still burned in his youthful heart, and Varian wasn't going to sit around idly anymore. He launched himself into a run, aiming to get to his bag, but the moment he did so he was slammed by the half field Violet launched forward. A cry escaped his buck-toothed mouth and he was sent backward, slamming into the wagon with enough force to rock his world.

Then, he felt a sudden chill in the air. One that was definitely unnatural. Though still dazed from the sudden impact, Varian was able to pull his senses together enough to force himself to his feet again and enough out of harm's way to avoid what he thought could have been serious damage. However, to his own relief, the ice that Elsa had sent out was on the opposite side of the wagon. 

That was close, Varian told himself. His vision slowly was focusing again, but to be sure he was okay he gave his head a quick shake and brought one gloved hand to his forehead. He'd be feeling that impact for a good day or two, he thought. Then, he remembered the satchel.

If Violet had been distracted by the sudden appearance of ice on the other side of the wagon, then this was his chance. Just to be sure, though, Varian hastily grabbed the first rock he saw on the dirt path and chucked it in her general direction. The rock wasn't anything bigger than a particularly large pebble, and it was not the most effective strategy he could come up with, but when his main mode of battle operations had been suddenly thrown off to the side by all of this? His options were limited.

When he was sure the rock was well on its way, Varian broke in to a run to try and grab his bag back. He only vaguely heard the cries of the nameless Arendelle soldiers and whatever Zira, Lorelei, Shenzi, and Sabor were doing was beyond his realm of knowledge.

He had to get his bag back.

        He needed to finish getting that wagon stuck in place.

                        Otherwise? He wasn't sure what was going to happen.

Lorelei’s attack successfully toppled the soldier woman, but she did not manage to land a bite, nor even pin her to the ground. Fighting had never been her strong suit, and it probably showed. The woman rolled away, just narrowly missing a swipe of Lorelei’s claws that merely slashed at the air she left behind. However, it seemed as the woman reached for nothing, that she had successfully disarmed her. Well, that was something.

She might have mentally celebrated that much, if her attention was not diverted by her own powers. Finicky as they were with new forms, she could feel again as the lion she posed as wavered. It did not look like anything was happening, beyond her pinned ears, clenched jaw and lashing tail. That was, until her struggle failed this time.

"Now’s not a good time for this," she hissed under her breath. For perhaps a moment, just as the woman settled into a fighting stance and smoke billowed around Lorelei, her form wavered and fell. Like an illusion gone wrong, she returned to her humanoid form, curls falling around her shoulders as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Who cared about Zira’s orders, Lorelei knew being human right now was inconvenient. Dangerous. A slight shudder passed through her as she tugged back at the new form, but when it refused to fall back into place she growled slightly, "fine."

Rather than diving for the woman, her gaze snapped to the gleam of her weapon, and she was quick to side step and snap it up. Not sure what else to do, but certain she did not want the woman wielding it again, she flung it away from them toward the bushes. The sword disappeared from sight, and her gaze immediately darted back to the soldier. At least that made her feel a little safer, for the moment.

In that second, her choices buzzed around her. Time seemed to slow, but she knew it was just her imagination. Delay a moment longer, and who knew what they woman could do without her sword. Run off, and who knew what wedge the woman would dig into their plans. Try the lion again and attack, with a high potential of failing. Or improvise. Drawing on a more familiar form the second she moved, rather than Lorelei, it was a large bay horse that lunged from the smoke.

Not really caring for if she hurt the woman, or what was going on around her beyond that, Lorelei planned to barrel forward, tucking her head before swinging it toward the woman, perfectly ready to follow through with a broad, muscular chest. She did not care if she merely knocked the woman down again, but she would happily send her flying if she could. She picked a strong working horse breed for a reason when she was escaping Italy, and it was because she knew the equines were a powerful force.

It all happened in moments, but it felt like far longer to Lorelei. She was a spy, not a soldier.

Zira cackled, she couldn’t help it. Excitement flooded through her veins as she felt her claws slice deep against a cheek. She had no idea if she was going to hit someone and though she would have preferred a shot to her throat or stomach, a face was just as good. Blood pouring from the wound was enough for her to take a step back, offering a rippled grin sliding up her muzzle. She was done with Varian and his nonsense, the wagon and everything. She just wanted to inflict more pain.

Violet’s pathetic attempt to hurt her (or so she assumed) only caused the lion queen to be flung to the side. She rolled a few times before getting back to her tawny paws, sliding her claws from her paws. She was so ready, so ready to sink her claws into the girl again. Make them-

“STOP, EVERYONE STOP.”

Her ears flicked upwards as she heard the whines and pathetic mews of the ice queen. She rubbed the drying blood from her eye and walked forward. She heard the words she spoke and her smile grew wider and wider. She had won. They had won. She chuckled softly, her breath low.

“How about you talk to me?” She slid next to the leopard, offering her a friendly cat gesture of a slow blink. Her ebony claw extended and she pushed at the air in front of Elsa's thigh. She'd heard the tail end of the pleas to Sabor. She ran her tongue over her maw, the taste of her own blood reminding her of her fury. 

"You will leave the wagon and we will leave you alive," she said with a growl, "How about that? Say no? And we end everything for you." Elsa didn't need to know about Maleficent's rules. She needed to know the balance could be tipped in favor of death at any time.

If she had known, if Anna had voiced the thought aloud, Shenzi would have been quite frankly insulted to learn that she had been mistaken for a dog. While not as bad as, say, most lions, Shenzi had no respect for the canine animals, and would very much chafe at being referred to as such. Hyenas, as far as she was concerned, were a class all to their own, and proud of that fact.

As it was, however, Shenzi was no mind-reader; the thought, then, was one she was completely oblivious to. Rather, all her attention was on her attack; a hyena's jaws were amongst the most powerful in the animal kingdom, and once she had her grip Shenzi had no intention of letting go. She jerked her head this way and that, rending the flesh further, with every intention of keeping on going until such a point as she would feel the bone beneath give way under the vicious assault. No heed was given to Anna's noises of pain, they were no different than the cries of any distressed prey animal, and they barely even registered to her.

Any moment now, she was sure, that bone was going to give. Any--

"YIPE-"

The yelp burst from Shenzi's maw without conscious thought, unwittingly turning loose the limb she'd just been mauling, as her vision was suddenly filled with metal swinging straight at her. Instinctively, the matriarch ducked backwards, under the clumsily brandished thing; even her fastest reactions, however, weren't quite enough to save her from getting several strands of her mane unceremoniously lopped off in passing. As she straightened, unpleasantly aware of less of it hanging in front of her vision as there ought to have been, the hyena's yellow gaze trailed to the shorn-off locks for a moment before returning to her adversary. Her maw pulled back in a snarl, lips pulling back to reveal teeth stained crimson with the girl's blood.

She longed to go straight back to chomping on that mangled limb for all she was worth; now, though, Shenzi was aware she had one of those cursed metal things to content with. Human weapons were a thing she hadn't had contact with until recently, but she was fast learning to hate them with a passion. She eyed up her best angle of approach--

And only in that moment, became aware that the battle around her had stopped. Icy over there, who was lying in her own pool of blood, seemed to be negotiating surrender with Zira... Shenzi's eyes didn't leave the weapon in Anna's hand, nor the leg that she longed to chew on some more, but all the same she felt a flash of triumph. Triumph... mingled with no small irritation at the thought of the battle being over so soon, when there was so much more maiming she longed to do. Still, for the moment, she held at bay.

Ready to either back off or resume the attack, as soon as Zira gave the word.

Things came close to turning lethal then and there as the small dog was pinned beneath Sabor's paws, her snapping and jaws finding nothing and her struggle to free herself amounting to nothing. The leopard could feel the dog's lifeblood pulsing beneath her paw, and every instinct within her urged her to sink teeth and claws into the small body, to feed on the warm flesh within her grasp. A low, harsh, hissing snarl escaped past her sharp teeth, just inches from Angel's face, and her ears flicked forward a bit when the white-haired woman started pleading with her.

She turned a fierce gaze upon the woman when she ordered her fighters to stop, her attention drawn just enough away from the small dog to stall her more bloodthirsty instincts. Sabor had intended at first to pin the woman down and force her to give such an order, but it seemed the dog was serving just as well, even without any spoken threats. It seemed that Maleficent would get what she wanted from this farce. But, as Elsa continued talking, she chose a very poor approach.

When Elsa reminded her of the no-kill order, Sabor's face twisted with a savage rage, and her claws suddenly extended a short ways, easily piercing through the little dog's fur and hide to draw drops of blood from her neck and shoulder. The wounds would hurt, but they were shallow enough they wouldn't even leave scars, and Zira's timely arrival and smooth interjection into the negotiations saved the little dog from further injury as the leopard's claws retracted once more. Her eyes flicked to Zira in acknowledgment of the lioness' friendly blink.

While Zira spoke, Sabor let her eyes wander across the battlefield as she took in where the other Suns troops were. Two of them looked pretty defiant still, and Sabor's eyes narrowed before she abruptly hoisted the small dog off the ground, claws ringing the canine's neck as she held her prisoner aloft for the other Suns to clearly see, one paw pressed against the dog's chest, while the other was pressed firmly against her back. This posture, together with the look of utter ferocity in the volatile leopard's face spoke volumes.

Try anything and this one dies, orders or no.

She gazed around again until, satisfied the Suns knew she was through messing around, she let her gaze drift back down to the white-haired woman so that she too would know that, Maleficent's orders or no, one false move or ill-chosen word would make matters so much worse for the Suns.

It quickly became apparent that the leopard was not the one she should have been negotiating with. Purely between the violent twist upon her feline features and for the fact that she had deduced early on who was actually in charge. Elsa winced, grimacing as the claws extended forth into Angel's flesh and her breath caught in her throat as she looks about ready to thrust herself forward and do something. Although she knew the given circumstance that doing nothing was better than throwing herself at them needlessly, Elsa wanted to rush forth and scoop the small dog back into her arms and keep her from these wretched beasts, but it was simply not possible.

"Angel," she tried to hush her earlier apologies, "it's okay. It's okay, I'm going to fix this..." she told her. She spoke almost too rushed, too shaky, and despite its intentions to be assuring she sounded almost as if she was telling it to herself more than she was to Angel herself. She spared look around her, Anna with her ankle, Mulan was present now. Violet, who she finally saw, with an alarming amount of blood down the side of her face. Elsa couldn't help but gasp, visibly shaken by the the events and each gruesome reveal.

Her icy gaze landed upon Zira, and she clutched her shoulder tighter despite the pain it ignited. A wave of dizziness washed over her and she couldn't tell if it was because of her wounds or the sheer impact of the whole attack overwhelming her. The lioness had a curled expression of amusement as she suggested she talk to her instead. Despite her fears she couldn't help the scathing glances she'd cast upon the female, bitter frown pressing at her lips as she inhale. Her mind was whirling a mile a minute, her attempts to bargain had been lost on deaf ears and she resented them for it. But she knew there was little options for them, and leaving alive at all, even battered, was better than this ending in death. Perhaps there was still hope for them to bind their wounds with what they had on them and send someone capable to the nearest settling. Elsa swallowed, and nodded firmly to Zira.

"We'll leave." she declared, loud enough for those around them to hear her. Despite how weak she felt her voice sounded strong enough, if not a bit noticeably bitter. She placed one hand down, cautiously bracing it against the still icy surface beneath has as she slowly rose. Surprisingly her legs didn't give way beneath her and she silently thanked whatever gods or forces allowed her to do so. She couldn't bare falling flat on her face in this moment, although she kept her gaze upon Zira as she straightened up to ensure she was on the same page and not about to make any sudden risky moves.

"We can't simply walk away..." she said slowly, sending a wistful glance over her shoulder to Anna, as well as considering the soldier she had that was harmed heavily. Not with intent to be obstinate, but their wounded made it impossible for them to hightail it out of there.

"I can free up this wheel." she explained, tentatively making a move towards the wagon. She placed her hand just over one of the wheels that was nearly encased with ice, glancing to Zira pointedly as if confirming permission to release what little hold her accidental burst of magic had on the wagon. At any sign of approval with a blue seeping light the ice began to shudder and break down, water and shards releasing it successfully. With careful movements she placed her shaking hands at a safe and visible location.

"We'll go where you want, we'll vacate the wagon and we're in no shape to pursue you when you take it." she pointed out, trying to explain that them taking the wagon and leaving would be faster and more plausible. Her gaze eventually slid back to Angel, worry striking her face as fear hitched in her throat once again.

"Please just give her back to me..." she added, fighting off a shake to her voice. It wasn't as if she expected an immediate 'yes' and that she'd be granted Angel upon request, she was more or less asking for quick and efficient order, that she honor the departure and return the canine to her safely. Elsa, while realizing the wagon of goods was a huge loss, knew that their lives were more important. She only wanted to hurry along to give them what they wanted so she could regroup them all and begin the process of looking after wounds, each second a precious moment of time lost that weighed on her heavily.

It was successful. Of course it was - that was no surprise to Lorelei. Cloaked as she was by the smoke, and with how disoriented the soldier was, with how she looked around like she was ready for an attack from every angle...it was so familiar. It reminded her of then, when anyone who knew what she could do but could not source an explanation for it feared her so strongly. How they always seemed to be waiting for her to attack. If anything, it was her waiting for the pain to come from them. It had been inevitable, after all. For all her abilities, they were far more hectic back then, and she had no true defense against them. Humans were far more dangerous when they were afraid, or at least that was the common trend. Whether of not this one was afraid, though, she was far less of a threat on the ground.

Lorelei could have just stopped at knocking her down, but she already had her back to the battle, and she did not wish to keep it that way. So, running the woman down, leaving her battered and bruised, and passing her to spin back around was the best bet. If she had offered more attention to the rest of the battle field, she would have noticed more beyond the unexplained chill in the air and the cries that meant nothing more than a dizzying feeling in her mind.

Instead she pinned her focus to one thing alone. The soldier woman. It was easier that way, to have a focus, to block out everything else. It made it easier to stay present where she was, to not let the confusion of the battlefield debilitate her and put her back in the state she had fought so hard to free herself from. So, her tail lashed agitatedly behind her, and with hooves planted firmly, she lowered her head to watch the soldier struggle to her feet. Her teeth were still bared and large, rippling muscles still tensed. However, she merely watched, bracing herself for whatever may come next.

A call. That was not what she had expected. At least, not the way it was delivered. The air around them seemed to still at the order, the noises quieting for a moment as even the forest around them seemed to pause to listen. Lorelei knew this voice was from the Suns, the ice queen she assumed. Yet still, as it stilled everyone else, the order stilled her too. Yet that did not stop her from passing a glare toward the struggling soldier, leaned so heavily against the cart. Ears flicking, Lorelei rose her equine head to peer across the battlefield better. She could see the ice witch on the ground faced by Zira looking all too pleased with herself, the little dog in Sabor's claws, the girl with the shield with a hand clutched to her face, Varian clutching his satchel like his life depended on it, the red-haired princess with a mangled leg facing off against Shenzi who seeming to be anxiously awaiting the command to dive back in for the attack.

The Suns seemed ready to obey their queen, and as she tried to negotiate her surrender with Zira, the Thorns hung upon every word as they awaited their own commander's order. The lion queen seemed to have no intention of letting the Suns take anything, even the most minor of medical supplies, and with a darkly victorious flash Lorelei realized the ice witch was accepting this. Their lives for exactly what the Thorns had come for. It amused Lorelei, the fact that they feared for lives that were not even in danger. Well, perhaps with the exception of the little dog, because Sabor looked rightly murderous and not too obedient either. With their orders having been to take the cart without killing, the Suns were getting nothing out of this. They were negotiating to give the Thorns everything they came for, thinking they were at least getting the lives they would have kept anyway.

Not wanting to attempt the form of a lion right now, but still wary enough of the fight resuming to not take on her human form, Lorelei slipped into something more comfortable. A dog was a form she had carried almost as long as a cat, and it was an easy one to draw on as she let herself relax slightly. Still, as the canine walked silently closer to the paused battle, she still cast a glare to the soldier, lips peeled back from pearly teeth in a brief warning snarl. "She isn't our queen," she warned coolly, the threat in her gaze enough to add the unspoken explanation onto that without voice. She was still a threat to these Suns until she was ordered otherwise - and even then she would still do whatever she saw necessary to keep what they took and to protect the lives of her companions. Or, at the very least, some of them. Despite her lack of commitment just yet, or perhaps a hidden fear of it, Lorelei knew that Varian was the least equipped to defend himself, and she would step in if he were attacked. In a sense he held the closest thing to loyalty that she offered any of these damned Thorns.

With one last glare to the woman and a slight growl, she trotted past, uncaring that the soldier probably had no idea who she was now unless she saw her transformation from horse to dog with her very own eyes. Even then she was probably confused, and wondering if Lorelei's attack did some damage to her head. Making her way silently now to Varian's side, she swept her gaze around again. The ice witch was removing her frosty hold on the wagon, and everyone else seemed to hold rapt attention upon their respective leaders as they awaited orders. At least the Thorns seemed in far better safe than the Suns, telling her the metallic tang of blood in the air sourced primarily from the enemy. Even a sniff toward Varian told her he was fine too. Good. Let the Suns suffer while only the Thorns reap reward. If they were this weak then perhaps the final battle would be so much more in the Thorns favor - yet she knew better than to underestimate the enemy. This was just an escort group, ambushed unexpectedly, of course they wouldn't have sent anywhere near their best. This was just a haphazard collection of disposables, not an example of their army's might.