[PLOT] Dusk to Dark (Celestia, Moonlight, Lailah) [FIN]

[Teigra]

Though the sun was setting on the horizon, she felt more as if she were waking up than tiring down after a long day. Moonlight's hoofsteps were light on the barely-beaten path that lead away from the Great Tree and her golden eyes glittered in the fading light. She loved this time of the day, the time when it felt like both day and night at once. It filled her with energy and alertness, as if some new adventure was waiting just for the sun to set.

She'd always been her mother's child in that aspect. Let the other Faun have the day; the night was hers.

Of course, such a schedule held strictly made it hard to spend much time with others, her extended family and friends included. It was a constant struggle to find balance, but tonight, this in-between time would serve well for allowing her to spend time with this companion. Slowing her pace, she dropped back beside the brilliant white Fauny with a smile. "Doing okay, Aunitie 'Tia?"

She'd not had nearly enough time to catch up with her aunt since she'd returned from her own adventure. Part of her couldn't help but feel a flicker of jealousy when she'd learned not only her friend, Ranuin, but her aunt and a lot of other Faun had gone on this jungle adventure. Though...after some of the details that followed, she'd decided that maybe, just maybe, it didn't sound like the best adventure after all. Maybe she could find her own adventure...with less annoying bugs and creepy haunted places.

Still, even if it was only an evening walk, she had been thrilled to get Auntie 'Tia to spend some time with her alone so they could catch up.

o0_Daisuke_0o

 

[Daisicle]

As the days had passed since her opening up once more to others, or at least to one, the princess had begun to actively work at recovering from the disease that had been plaguing her mind. She made strides to leave her alcove more often, to stir up conversation rather than wait to be spoken to. But, most of all, she had begun the process to be rid of the terrors from making eye contact, if by the most crude of methods.

Years of covering one's innermost thoughts had tremendously helped to keep her many insecurities veiled behind a constant mask of simple happiness. By reminding herself that none of it was real, it had begun to disappear.

Easy enough, it would seem.

But if it was truly 'easy enough,' she would have begun so long ago and been done with it soon after she began. Illness of the mind was among the hardest to cure, for the mind was well adept at tricking itself and not so easy at being convinced otherwise.

That was not the point of this walk, the first time the princess had stepped from the safety of the tree since that 'adventure' seemingly long ago. No. This was a moment to reconnect with her niece, Moonlight Shadow. They had all grown so fast... Turning to smile lightly at her, departing from her thoughts, she replied. "Oh, yes... I am quite fine dear."

Truthfully, however, she was a bit nervous to leave the safety of the tree. What if the dreadful angels or demons appeared, threatening them? No... Surely not... They would still be near her branches, surely this was her paranoia sticking out again.

That dreadful thing.

Bringing her hands together, she instead decided to continue the conversation further, her tone quite deceiving of the hesitance she felt in walking outside. "How have your siblings and mother been? Quite well, I should hope." There was a pause before she added, almost (but not quite) as an afterthought. "How have you been, my little Shadow?" It had been a long time since she had used that name, but it had also been a long time since they had spoken. If she had a new one, well, now would be he time to tell it.

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Reassured, Moonlight grinned and reached for her aunt's hand as they walked. "Well, Twinkle's always out these days...I dunno what she does, but she spends a lot of time outside it seems. And Wild Moon just got back from adventuring in the mountains with his bird friend," she said flippantly, perhaps with a touch of jealousy. Everyone else got to do all the fun things while she was stuck here. Boring. "He found some book or something...dunno what it is, he won't let me look at it," she made a face. Okay, maybe her body had grown, but she was still not quite ready to act like an adult.

Where was the fun in that anyway?

"Mum's been busy. I guess she and Dad are still working on this wedding thing." Her eyes lit up and she grinned at her aunt. "Ooo! Do you think they'll let me be in it? I could hold some flowers or...something, I dunno." She'd never actually seen a wedding before. She just knew that if her parents were having one, she should definitely be a part of it.

When the question came to her though, she faltered. Though the old nickname brought a smile to her face, she glanced down at her hooves. "Me? I dunno. I mean...there's not been much going on around here, and everyone fun was all gone for a while. After Wild Moon disappeared, I figured mom would have my head if I tried to go out anywhere myself. And you were gone and a bunch of the others, even Ranuin was gone off adventuring and I was stuck here where it was boring and dull." She sighed, her energy seeming to wane for a moment. "I dunno, I guess I wasn't really doing much of anything interesting. Maybe I need to find something." She paused, then looked at her aunt. "You know what I mean? Like...I'm supposed to be doing something else, but I just haven't figured out what it is yet?"

o0_Daisuke_0o

 

[Daisicle]

As her hand was taken, the princess looked over to smile at her niece. Ah, that was right, about the same time she was trapped underground, he had been stranded atop a mountain of sorts. Just what sort of strange island this was... "I am relieved he returned unharmed. A bird friend?" Sounded like that one creature her subject Twinkleshine had left the tree to raise. Shouldn't it be grown by now? Strange for her to have returned immediately...

Laughing, Celestia tried to placate the girl. "Remaining within the tree is not boring. You must be careful when leaving it and be wary of anything an angel or demon says. They are not to be trusted." That was her two cents at least.

Advice aside, she nodded lightly. "I am certain that your mother will include all of you in her wedding; that is how she is. Perhaps mention your wish to her? She surely will appreciate the thought." Oh, how she could not believe that all close to her were growing closer and starting families. Luna with Mo, Vanya with Takis... It made her a little sad, as if they were all leaving her behind to pursue their own happiness. Not that she'd ever strip them of that, it was just a bit... lonely...

Or, surely it would be if not for Faroth. Just the thought of him, of their last interaction, nearly made her face flush from ear to ear. How embarrassing the entire thing was! To think she would ever do something so... or well... that...

Celestia came back to the present as she heard the change in her niece's tone, an understanding look appearing on her face. To be left without ones friends and forced into a room for your own good... well... "You must have felt quite lonely without them." A pause, before she continued. "Ranuin and his father were with me for a time, though what we endured would hardly suffice as an adventure, or so you call it. It was really quite dangerous; we nearly perished during that time, so I am grateful that you were uninvolved." Taking the tone for the lighter, she laughed and nodded. "I suppose that is a thought we all have, a need we must fulfill. To discover what our niche in this world is." Her eyes looked over, "You are still young, alive and flowing with energy and will. Remain patient, my Shadow, and the spirits shall guide you to find what only you could possibly be."

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Pouting a bit, Moonlight nevertheless listened to her aunt's advice, even if it wasn't what she wanted to hear. She didn't want to hear about staying safe in the tree, away from adventures and excitement. Even danger. She wasn't a fool...she didn't necessarily want to go looking for the danger part. It just happened to also come along with the 'excitement' part a lot of the time and the adrenaline rush of feeling so alive...

She brushed aside the comment about angels and demons with little regard. The comment may have seemed to come out of nowhere to many others, but she'd gotten used to such comments from her aunt as of late. Personally, she had little experience with either type of Pae. Ranuin had seen some out on the isle, though he didn't seem quite as comfortable with them as his father did. The second-hand stories were most of what Moonlight had to go on though, which wasn't much to base an opinion on.

Still, all the talk of 'danger' and exciting lands beyond the Tree had stirred the dark-furred Fauny's spirits. She wanted to get out there...see what she could see, discover, explore...to see what she could do. Unconsciously, she reached up, fingering a small pouch that hung around her neck. It wasn't very large, only containing a trinket or two when she was out and about. Easiest way she'd found to keep track of things, considering. Sounding only hafl-convinced, she sighed and leaned on the older Fauny's shoulder as they walked. "If you say so, Auntie 'Tia. It's just hard to sit and wait instead of getting out there to look for it."

*****

Wrapped in a dark cloak and positioned strategically out of sight of those walking the path nearby, a cream and crimson angel crouched, senses alert. She'd staked out the position on and off for a few days, waiting for the prime opportunity to make her move. She knew some of the others were working in pairs on various tasks, but she felt that this one she could handle on her own. It would be simple enough. Locate a Faun with a token traveling the path, preferably alone and unawares. All she needed was a single blinding flash, a quick grab, and she could be on the way back to the City with her prize. Simple, direct, and bonus, she didn't even have to stab anyone.

Not that she personally thought that was a bonus, but she'd set out to prove that she could do things without having to resort to violence. Even if she really really wanted to and it would only have been a dumb heretic anyway.

Still, some missions required finesse, and she might as well use the opportunity to practice. She just hadn't realized how long this was going to take, waiting for the perfect opening. Either no one was using the path...or large groups. She had faith in her abilities, yes, but she also wasn't stupid. If things went south, she was a strike-and-vanish sort of fighter, not a brute who charged overwhelming numbers head-on. She needed a single, clueless Faun, one she could bewilder and relieve of their token before they even knew what was happening. She could be gone and they'd never even see her.

Her golden eyes narrowed, shining with glee at what she saw headed her way. Or two Faun. Close enough.

o0_Daisuke_0o

 

[Daisicle]

Laughing lightly, the princess lifted an arm to wrap it around her niece’s shoulder, perhaps one of the most prominent physical displays of intimacy she had made in many moons. Such gestures were reserved for only her family. “It certainly is, I understand. Long ago, I too wished to explore and so experience so much, but instead I remained with your mother to be a leader for the fauny. Then a time came when we had to lead all in a journey, and so very much has happened since then.” She squeezed the girl’s shoulder lightly, smiling warmly. “You and your brother and sister happened.”

Pausing a few moments, she continued. “At times, my age takes hold of my tongue and allows many extra words to persist. It may be quite difficult, but great things come to those who wait.” She had little understanding of what they were walking into, her own talisman hanging from her wrist.

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Crouched low, dark cloak spread out from her feet over the ground, the crimson-haired angel held her hands cupped, one over the other, and began murmuring softly under her breath. The area had been growing steadily darker after the sun had sunk below the horizon, but the process seemed to accelerate in the immediate area and a small, glowing orb began forming within her cupped hands.

Chuckling at her aunt, Moonlight shook her head and placed a hand over the one on her shoulder. Shooting her a cheeky grin, she quipped, "Yeah, you're right...we are pretty great things that happened." She returned the gesture with a flex of the wing nearest her aunt, a half-hug sort of motion. She noticed idly that it was growing darker quickly, but it didn't seem unusual as the sun had already set and the glow on the horizon was slowly dimming to give way to the stars of the night sky.

Noting the size of the orb in her hands, Lailah deemed it satisfactory for what she needed and ceased drawing in fuel for her grenade. It was near dark; it shouldn't take much of a flash to blind her targets for her purpose. Just a quick toss, a grab, and she'd be gone. Easy. She'd already sighted the dark furred heretic reaching for a pouch at her neck. That must be where she kept her token. That was her target as soon as the trap was sprung. Moving into position, she noted the two winged abominations' attention was on one another, took careful aim, then tossed the ball of light so that it would land between them, immediately shielding her own eyes from the impending blast.

"So, Auntie 'Tia, I--" the pegasi's comment was cut off as she glanced toward a bright ball of light, passing from her peripheral vision, directly in front of her, to hit the ground. The explosion of brilliant white light that resulted was more than blinding after her eyes had been adjusted to the near darkness. Instinctively, she brought up an arm to shield her face, though too late, recoiling from the explosion of light. There was no heat, no sound or other evidence of an actual explosion aside from the light. Her other arm reached out for her aunt, groping in the darkness as only stars filled her vision. "Auntie 'Tia? Auntie 'Tia! Are you okay?"

About that time, she felt a light tug at her neck. Was that...no, that wasn't her aunt. Someone...or something, was tugging at the pouch around her neck. When the strap failed to give way, the pouch was lifted instead, perhaps to be pulled over her head. Moonlight didn't think that deeply about it. All she knew was that she and her aunt had just been attacked by something, she was disoriented, and something was trying to steal her pouch. And it was after sunset, so her wilder instincts were starting to kick in. And whoever had their hands on her pouch was not a familiar scent to her. All this processed in a split second and she reacted violently.

The cord had proven tougher than she thought, refusing to snap at her tug. She should have used her blade to cut the thing away. Easy enough to pull it free instead, she thought.

"OW!" Not normally one to be vocal, Lailah cried out and withdrew her hand, releasing her prize. The sharp pain had been a surprise and she was both shocked and horrified by what had just happened. She put some distance between her and the heretics, hissing to herself as she looked down at her hand. In the back of her mind, she realized that she'd already failed in her mission, but she had a bigger concern at the moment. "You BIT me?!?" she sneered in disbelief. Guardians...what if she got some sort of infection from this?

o0_Daisuke_0o

 

[Daisicle]

The dark was nothing new for the princess, though it would be a lie to say she often ventured during it. The moon and the night was her sister's domain, the day her own. A laugh came from her lips as she felt her niece's wing against her back, fully thankful to be sharing such a moment. It was strange; children always seemed to age so slowly, yet at a blink they were fully grown. What had happened to the time passed?

Her eyes glanced up, taking note of the dark hues and the appearance of stars. They were perhaps the one thing she wished day possessed that it did not. Their sparkling forms did much to light it, beautifully decorating the dark expanse with their white.

Celestia's eyes had turned to look at Moonlight as a blinding explosion of light blinded her. Instinct took over, her eyes closing and her arms raising before herself, her wings and body moving to try and shield her niece. "Moonlight?!" she called out, blinking heavily as spots clouded her returning vision. "Moonlight, dear, I am fine. Are you injured?!" Her eyes wildly looked behind her, the adrenaline running through her veins as she tried to assess the situation. Her ears flicked towards Lailah as she heard her speak, the darkness shrouding her form.

Raising a hand forward, towards the angel, the princess summoned the light around them, illuminating everything. Her eyes narrowed as the angel came into clear view, chills running up her back and fueled by the excitement. It would be a lie to say her mind did not continue to play tricks on her, producing dripping blood from the head and deep wounds on her hand.

The adrenaline was surely clouding her judgement and the affects such visions might produce. This was a threat to her family. Nearly growling, she called out to the devil, "You assaulted us. A bite is a kind reaction for one of your kind." Stepping forward, ahead of her niece, she assumed a prideful, powerful stance, her wings flared out, her hooves firmly upon the ground and her eyes icy. "We have no business involving the likes of you. Be gone, else face the consequences." Nobody threatened her family.

It was a fight or flight situation; the fight response was winning.

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Moonlight growled low, the taste of blood in her mouth kicking her animal instincts into overdrive. Her own wings rustled and flared wide in an intimidating stance, trying to make up for her naturally small frame. Noting her aunt's concern and protective stance in front of her, she calmed herself enough to reply, "I'm fine, Auntie 'Tia. Though someone may not be very soon..."

Turning her head, she spit the blood onto the ground, glaring at her attacker, illuminated in her aunt's light. "Course I did, you tried to take my stuff. And, by the way, you sorta' attacked us first, if you hadn't noticed."

Lailah scowled down at her wounded hand. Secretly, this concerned her more than she wanted to let on. What if it got infected? She could be infected already if these creatures were truly Tainted beasts. She needed cleansing immediately...but there was still work to be done. She'd botched the easy snatch-and-grab, that was for sure. But it was too late to give up and go home empty-handed now. One way or another, she needed to get what she'd come for, then get out of here.

She turned a hatred-filled glare on the duo, tearing her eyes away from her dripping hand. In a slow, even voice, one that she was working consciously to control, she said, "No one was supposed to get hurt. If you'd have just let me take it, I've have been gone now."

The dark pegasus raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Seriously? I was just supposed to let you take my stuff? I dunno what you'd want with my pouch, but seriously...did you not think about just asking instead of going through such drama to take it?

Now it was Lailah's turn for disbelief. The heretic was suggesting that she should have 'asked' to take her protection token? And expected to receive it? Something about the whole idea of cooperating with these...things seemed revolting and unnatural to her. And yet...hadn't she done so once before, if briefly, uniting with one to fight the beasts from the dark forest?

With conscious and visible effort, she bit back a harsher reply, struggling with herself for a moment before she managed to force a somewhat more polite response. "Fine...you both have a small protection token, do you not? I require one for myself. Could I...please have one of yours?" Ugh, she swore it burned just to say that...

Moonlight looked the angel over from top to bottom, sizing her up. She didn't seem very tall, but neither was Moonlight. However, she seemed rather scrawny yet beneath that cloak. She wasn't familiar with angel Pae'il personally, but Moony felt inclined to believe that this one wasn't even full-grown yet. A young one, brash and full of herself then. "No," she said simply.

"No?!?" Lailah's temper flared and she nearly tossed her own cloak aside to flare her wings like the heretic abominations seemed to think would intimidate her. "You said..."

"I said if you'd asked rather than attack us. Too late for that now," Moonlight replied coolly. She stepped up beside her aunt, nodding towards her. "Now, you heard her. We have no business with you, child. Get moving before you bite off more than you can chew," she said pointedly, punctuating her statement with a low growl.

Lailah had had enough of these arrogant heathens. The white one was going on about 'her kind' as if she were the lower class here. Ha! And now the black one was talking down to her like a child. Rather than react explosively, she fell quiet instead. She let the cloak drape her frame, the hood shifting lower over her face. Her stance seemed calm and at ease, but in reality, she had tensed, hands shifting towards her blades beneath. Under her breath, she murmured, "I think that you're the ones who have no idea who you're dealing with..."

o0_Daisuke_0o

 

[Daisicle]

The princess's eyes looked behind her as Moonlight came closer, content to let her speak on her own behalf, before laying down on Lailah exclusively. The thing seemed scrawny, as if she might break on contact, yet surely it was not that easy. She was a blood pae, after all. Cruel, bloodthirsty, the enemy. And she was an immediate threat.

While she was not normally one for violence, this sort of situation was... different.

And she seemed to go on, and on, and on. What useless dribble. Who did she think she was, a child facing two grown adults. Her wings folded back behind her as Moonlight was beside her, her eyes no less icy. Her ears were barely able to catch the sounds of her voice over the sounds of night, her own body ready to spring at any stimulation. "This is a final warning. Be gone. You are not welcome here." Even she could feel the poison dripping from her words, very much different from anything her niece had heard from her before.

If anything progressed from this point, well... There would be little chance of either party salvaging the situation until one was physically unable to.

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Moonlight had been preparing to protect her aunt, but the cold threat that had been delivered had sent chills down her spine. Never haven't heard anything of the sort from her sweet, cookie-baking aunt before, she took a wary step back. Perhaps she didn't need as much protecting as she might have thought.

Lailah nearly laughed, but it was a cold smile that lay in the shadows beneath the hood. "Not welcome? I care not where I am welcome. In fact, we are most unwelcome in the places where we most need to be." The darkness seemed to increase, shrouding her cloaked form in shadows. "But, I tire of this. I have business to tend to. I'll be taking one of those tokens. You could save yourselves the trouble and give me one, or I'll just take one. If you've forgotten your place, I'll be happy to remind you of it."

Cocky? Yes, but silently she was sizing up her opponents' stances even as the darkness grew around her. How much fighting experience did they really have? Or was it all posturing? Anyone could do that, but if you ignored the threat to challenge them, see if they had the skill to back it up...then what?

Forget this whole non-violence thing. Primitive heretics only understood one thing and it wasn't logic; it was force.

When her hands emerged from the cloak, they moved quickly, tossing the collected light grenade towards the heretics. It was much smaller than the previous one, intended more to distract than to actually blind on explosion. She charged through the flash, drawing her twin blades smoothly and targeting the nearest Faun: the black furred abomination.

Moonlight was quick to shield her eyes this time, but it meant that as the flash faded, suddenly the angel was on her. The silvery flash of metal in the moonlight kicked her instincts into gear and she leapt back reflexively, receiving only a shallow slice to her raised forearm in turn. She hissed in response, as much in fury as in pain. This was no longer the simple matter of some upstart teenager making needless noise; things had just gotten serious. She lashed out quickly with a kick and was rewarded with a grunt as the angel fell back.

"Auntie! Cover me for a second!" she barked, pulling back to start to shift. The other wanted to bring weapons into this? Fine, she'd bring her own weapons...

o0_Daisuke_0o

 

[Daisicle]

Celestia was carefully analyzing the situation as the angel spoke, not paying much attention to the words spoken, but rather of the most subtle of movements. Perhaps that was why she had let her powers of the light begin to fade, slowly, but letting the night fall upon them again. The moon granted enough light to see what was happening,

As she saw the movement of the cloak and the momentary light, the princess shifted to try and set herself between the angel and her niece. The actual movement differed from her prediction, however, and sent her looking behind her at Moonlight's hiss in shock.

Her own glare returned to the angel when she saw that she was (relatively) unharmed, a wave of fury and instinct dulling her reason. No, she was not trained in fighting, but she had relived nightmares of violence over, and over, and over again. It was hard not to pick up some ideas from such a thing. "Worry not for me! I will cover you," she yelled in turn, her wings flaring and flapping to take her closer to the angel in a faster speed and to propel her with a greater force. As she approached, her head was lowered, her horn striking forward as her hands took hold of the angel's wrists.

If she could control the arms, she would have no power. It did not matter how injured she became; this beast would not harm her family again.

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Lailah nearly snorted; the white prissy one was going to stop her? Really? This should be entertaining.

She'd not expected such an aggressive charge from the female abomination, however. She'd not taken the other for the type of rush in with brute force, but perhaps she was giving them too much credit again. Of course such primitives would rush in without a thought of tactics or planning. For just a moment, her eyes widened at the sharp horn heading towards her face. She didn't resist when her wrists were grabbed, only leaning back to protect her face from the other's horn.

Her wings were tucked tightly against her back beneath the cloak and when Celestia hit her with such momentum, instead of trying to fight it, she went with it instead. Lailah dropped backwards in fact, rolling with the motion so that her center of balance dropped below Celestia's and her back hit the ground. The weapons in her hands weren't her only tools at her disposal. Drawing her legs up as she hit the ground, she kicked up and out to send Celestia onwards, back over her head.

Only too late did she note the token around her wrist. So close!

At the break in fighting, Moonlight only saw enough to see her aunt charge forward before she was shifting rapidly. Dropping towards the ground, her size was decreasing, but her agility increased, as did the addition of sharp fangs and claws at the end of her four paws. That wasn't all she'd gained. As the moonlight shown down on her lengthening fur, the cut on her fore arm...now a foreleg...was already knitting over to stop bleeding.

Within a minute, the black-backed jackal turned herself towards the fight with an aggressive snarl. Intruder in her territory, looking for a fight...couldn't have that.

o0_Daisuke_0o

 

[Daisicle]

She was clearly something wrong with the princess, clouding her judgement. Why else would she have made such a charge without any hands-on physical training? It was mad, completely mad.

But, as she went, her mind seemed to return to its senses, at least a bit, to help her making predictions.

Rather than be surprised by the continuation of her momentum, she aggressively folded her wings against her back and went with it, quickening the rate of their falling and the force of the impact upon the ground. She was hoping to pin her to the ground. Hoping. The kick had been a surprise, sending the princess into the air. In a panic, she haphazardly tried to unfold her wings and take to the air, working against her instead to just create a larger of area hitting the ground.

It hurt.

Her head was spinning, the air knocked out of her and stars speckling across her vision. Rolling to her front side, the white of her fur stained with brown and red from the ground and the angel's blood, she glared furiously as she pulled herself up. She wasn't done; this was far from over. As long as she could continuing moving, no more harm would be done to her niece.

She picked up a few rocks, tossing one in her hand once before flapping her wings to take to the skies. If the child was going to use light, she could do the same. Reaching forward, she momentarily summoned the day around them, chucking the rock at the angel's head before dissipating it in a flash. To the other side she flew in the new-found darkness, bringing forth light with another rock, removing it immediately after. The next time she dived closer, pulling back just before she reached the girl to twist into a kick, lighting her moments before hoping to make contact.

With each thing, she was careful to make sure her niece wasn't injured as a result of what she was doing.

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Having kicked the white abomination free, Lailah completed her combat roll, coming to rest in a crouched position. She allowed herself a slight smirk, then turned her attention back to her other foe while the first was distracted and recovering. Her eyes alighted on the four-legged creature and she reacted with a hiss. She knew it! These creatures were little more than animals and this was proof! They even turned into beasts before her very eyes!

Primitive monsters... Nevertheless, she still had a mission. Her eyes fixed on the token, still hanging around the dog thing's neck. She'd also spied one on the white one's wrist. Either one would do; she just had to get one for herself, since they seemed so inclined to fight her. Fine, a fight they'd get.

She shifted her grip on her blades about the time that a light flashed from behind her and a rock hit the dirt beside her, bouncing up and hitting her leg. She leapt aside with a sneer, whirling on the now-airborne abomination. So, she could play with light as well? But...they were only heretics... No time to worry about that now, she was also throwing rocks at her. Really, what sort of battle strategy was that? Granted, she didn't want to actually get hit by one, but what did the other hope to accomplish with this? Noting that her aim was improving, Lailah growled, muttering something under her breath.

Galadmor...

Light seemed to gather and coalesce on the angel's left arm, taking the shape of a shield made of twisted thorns. Perhaps not the best for deflecting projectiles as a smooth one would be, but her shield had offensive as well as defensive uses in a normal fight. For now, she just needed the defensive. She held her arm up to block the incoming make-shift missiles, using her free hand to put her blade back in its sheath.

The jackal snarled and circled the intruder warily, looking for an opportunity to strike. Her foreleg was healing over and no longer bleeding, but she was furious and looking for a fight. She was small, but that didn't daunt her in the slightest.

The angel was distracted by the falling rocks now, cowering behind a shield! Ha! Moonlight crept closer, watching the rocks warily and preparing to lunge.

The rhythm of rocks hitting her shield wasn't enough to distract Lailah from the animal's growling. She knew the beast was behind her, getting closer. Meanwhile, the rocks faltered, tearing Lailah's attention back to her primary attacker. The flash of white, diving for her, Lailah quickly dispelled her shield, even if it would have caused decent damage if she'd used it to block. She had something better in mind. The angel sidestepped, the kick still heading for her, but she had her hands free and ready to catch the incoming hoof. There was decent momentum behind the strike...enough that it pushed her back a step or two, but she attempted to redirect the fauny's momentum in a circular fashion, swinging her around towards the mutt behind her preparing to strike before letting her grip loose.

o0_Daisuke_0o

((Had trouble describing what I saw in my head, but basically, she's aiming to grab Celestia and sidestep, to throw her at Moonlight. XD))