The R Word

"RUGOSA!" I roar at the top of my lungs I feel a force emanate from my chest and now I'm back behind the bars. The energy I exuded fell over Polidori pulling his attention to me and away from Emily's arm.

"I thought I told you to stay!" he hisses through bared fangs. He tried to move, but found his feet nailed to the floor. Again that abyssal presence washed over him. An energy now surged through my muscles an electricity that ran from behind my eyes and down my spine out to the tips of my fingers and toes.

"You have his attention good now remember how it feels to pounce on prey that was too intimidated to move." As Rugosa's words whisper in my mind I see images of me nimbly scaling impossible terrain chasing a shearbak struggling to escape. I roar, and it freezes, I prowl just meters away, and I watch the fear grow in its eyes before with a flash of movement I close the distance and feel my teeth sink smoothly into its jugular liberating my reward.

I fall from the bliss of this dream back into my body which feels light and limber. Before I could realize what I'd done I reach all fours and I gain a laser focus that hones in on Polidoris who still struggled to free his feet from the floor. My back arches as the rest of my body tenses.

As a coiled spring released my body lunges forward through the bars I cross the room in no time too quick for Polidori to react. I make it to his back and with no hesitation sink my teeth into his neck. When the crimson delight sprays the interior of my mouth I feel electricity course through my body but this wasn't my goal I pull back ripping all I could free before jumping away. Polidori stumbled releasing Emily and focussed on healing the shallow wound on his neck. I took this opportunity to grab Emily and move her to Radney who was still unconscious.

"Good that was Acrane Knowledge my fangs are sharper than yours, but I appreciate the traditional method." I hear followed with a purr from Rugosa reminding me of what I had been still chewing on, though I couldn't deny it tasted pleasant, I still spat it out feeling a wave of disgust come over me.

"I do not fault you for denying this prey it's most foul... Summon your teeth and finish this farce." I saw flashes of the blade Rose used and grew frustrated.

"I can't Rose controls that dagger." I say defeatedly.

"that is why I said summon your teeth, Willow." I look at my bracelet and notice the second blade crossing the one resembling Roses. I reach out my hand and imagine a life-sized version of the tiny blade charm. The dark ichor forms in my hand and takes shape. Now I was holding a light twin blade to Roses' their only differences were its lacking of ridges and the sharpness.

"forget comparisons quickly both hands slam the blade between them he's almost free!" Polidori's legs seemed to lighten as he slowly lifted each one noticing this I smash the blade into my hand. Before it could pierce my hand it burst into black Ichor again and oozed over both of my hands merging tightly to my skin and adding claws to the tips of my fingers.

"I reformed your fang into my claws. Now Willow Overcome your prey." Again images of me accomplishing things I've never done flash in my mind. I move at breakneck speeds utilizing my claws to slash and rend flesh from bone bringing an adult Shearbak to its knees. In reality, I take the same stance from the memory I feel the energy course through my body along with every muscle tensing. As it seems Polidori has broken free from my Roar's hold I release the tension and spring ahead again too fast for him to react. Upon passing I swing my claws aiming for his chest. Polidori braces himself creating an x shape block that I cut through like butter.

His arms leak profusely, but I don't stop there I spin on the spot to keep my momentum as I spring back at him for another attack picking up speed with each pass until I'm a blur using every surface of the room as a launch pad into my next attack. Polidori a young tall slender man who wore a fitting two-piece suit was now drenched in blood and ripped to shreds. At the end of my barrage, he stood in shambles in the center of a circle I was prowling around him.

"Finish it Willow quickly!" Rugosa's voice was filled with an urgency that sprung me into action. Sure this was the killing blow I rushed him down a final time aiming for his neck I close the distance and swing at the staggard Polidori only to feel as if I hit the air. I watched him for a moment and begin to notice his form flicker so slightly akin to a mirage bending in a wave of heat.

"You know girl... Rose was it?" A voice that seemed to come from the room itself asked.

"You should count yourself among the exceptional! Only Lonan has ever done enough damage to my Alter Image to warrant my appearance." The entire room began to bend and wave similar to that of a mirage added to that was an awful smell I didn't notice earlier. This average empty room that had maybe one desk and chair and the cell that Willow had even noticed began to fade away. It was replaced by a much bigger room with an assortment of screens and computers as my eyes adjusted to the absurd scenery change I could tell the computers displayed medical data in real-time while the screens displayed teens strapped to chairs with IVs either siphoning out blood or pushing in an iridescent purple liquid.

I look to the cell and instead found a wall with a window that was freshly broken replacing the hole Kairos exit created the odder thing about this was the broken glass was on the inside not out. My attention turns back to Polidori who fades away just as I do. I search the room with my eyes hoping to find my enemy. I notice Randey begin to stir as he slowly awakes. Emily's eyes have formed back into cracked glass panes and the cracks were slowly healing.