[center] [h1]Matricide[/h1] [i]Collaboratively written by BBeast and Lord Zee[/i][/center] [hr] [i]Fire.[/i] Burning bright, burning hot. [i]Noises[/i]. Thousands crying, roaring, screaming, running… Burning. [i]Blood[/i]. Scarlet rivers, ripped flesh, broken bones, fresh meat. [i]Kill[/i]. Kill kill kill. Kill the small, kill the large, kill the slow, kill the fast, the winged, the scaled, the horned, the spiked, the weak, the strong. Kill kill kill. Kill them all. [i]KILL[/i]. [hr] Rain fell upon the scorched earth. Peals of thunder rattled the ground and a pair of heavy taloned feet landed in the mud. A beak nudged some nearby bones, broken and gnawed. There was a sad croon. A deep inhale through the nostrils. Crackle of static electricity. She was close. There was a thunderclap and the beast returned to the storm. [hr] The fire came down from the North, whipping life into a mad dash of fury and pain. What followed next was like a black wave of malice. They seemed to flood the world, burning the world as they went, stepping over corpses new and old. They moved in legion, like a giant stain upon the land, and to the south they went, closer and closer to the coast. Their Queen, their mother moved in the middle, anger pulsating throughout her stance. She wanted her enemy to pay, but she would not let that get in the way of the greater prize. Their prey was the world, and they hungered for it. Yet behind them a storm was brewing, dark clouds mixing with the pall of smoke. Thunder rumbled behind the reaper spawn, growing louder as the storm drew closer. As the first drops of rain fell upon the malevolent horde, an ear-splitting cry rattled their bones. [i]SCREEEEEEE![/i] The black horde froze, and one by one red eyes began to look upon the storm that was behind them. Azadine looked up, letting out a small vocalization. Her body went rigid as she sniffed the air. Something had brought the storm. A midnight blue bird dove out of the clouds. Just above the ground the bird beat her wings with a deafening [i]CRACK[/i] of thunder, stunning the spawn nearby before landing heavily in their midst. The great bird’s beak stabbed downwards, snapped one of the blackened creatures in half with a single bite then threw back her head to swallow. The reaper spawn who hadn’t been concussed by the Thunderbird’s landing showed no fear or hesitation in swarming towards this new foe. The Thunderbird flapped her wings again, sending a wave of thunder which stopped the monsters in front of her in their tracks. Behind her the screeching mob of beasts got closer and arcs of scarlet lightning shot from their heads to the Thunderbird. Yet the bolts of lightning sparked harmlessly across the Thunderbird’s lustrous plumage. The Thunderbird spun around with a hop and batted the spawn with a wing, electricity jolting through the spawn and causing them to drop convulsing to the ground. The Thunderbird advanced with another thunderous wingbeat and tore into the reaper spawn with beak and claw. Another vocalization erupted through the storm, a metallic shriek of fury. The Spawn around the Thunderbird began to retreat slightly, making way for their Mother, who came with speed and anger. The Thunderbird turned to face Azadine and released a screech which would deafen most creatures and flapped its wings, sending concussive thunder towards the Reaper. The Reaper Mother took the blow directly and crumbled back at first, before digging into the ground with her claws, and gripping onto what she could to stand up. Azadine drifted slightly, before her eyes focused back on the Thunderbird, and Azadine ripped up boulders with her two long arms and threw them at the bird. The Thunderbird squawked in alarm and flew skywards, one boulder flying lower while the other grazed her flank with a shower of sparks. The Thunderbird took a moment to steady herself then swooped towards Azadine, talons outstretched and thunder rippling ahead of her. In a flurry of movements Azadine tensed her body, going low as she looked up at the Bird, eyes pinpoints as she pounced to meet the bird in mid air, long arms poised to rake the Thunderbird’s flesh and her small arms going for the bird’s talons. Azadine’s claws met their mark, claws sinking into the Thunderbird’s flesh and hands grappling against the Thunderbird’s feet, yet immediately electricity surged through Azadine. The Thunderbird let out a deafening screech and flapped her wings frantically, pummelling the Reaper with concussive thunder. With a growl of frustration as her flesh burned, Azadine's grip let loose from the Thunderbird and she dropped as the thunder pummeled her back on the ground with a loud crash. Reaper spawn immediately began to swarm over her as a form of protection as the Mother slowly got to her feet. Blood dripped from the Thunderbird’s sides where Azadine’s claws had slashed her flesh and crimson stained her midnight blue feathers. Yet the Thunderbird did not relent. She dropped down towards Azadine with talons outstretched, a wave of thunder rattling through the Reaper Spawn as she pinned a couple of spawn under her electrified feet. A beak pecked down and tore away at the blanket of beasts, trying to get to the Reaper Mother. A long, knife like tail whipped around the corpses of the spawn and struck the Thunderbird in the side as Azadine let out another wail. The Thunderbird squawked and staggered sidewards off Azadine under the unexpected blow, flapping her wings with peals of thunder to stay upright. The Thunderbird turned to face the Reaper Mother and watched the Reaper’s tail warily. With a flurry of thunderous wingbeats, the Thunderbird leapt towards Azadine again, talons outstretched to grapple the Reaper. Buffeted by the force of the wing beats Azadine staggered and the Thunderbird managed to sink her talons in her chest, pinning two of her arms. Azadine screamed in fury as electricity coursed through her. The spawn went into a frenzy, throwing themselves at the Thunderbird recklessly and without care, although most could barely scratch her before falling to the ground from electric shock. Azadine meanwhile flailed with her two good arms, ripping into the bird as the giant avian pecked at Azadine. Azadine relented as the electricity began to take its toll, removing herself from the bird and retreating underneath a horde of spawn. The queen glared at her foe but made no moves to attack. The Thunderbird stood unsteadily for a few moments, rain mixing with fresh red blood soaking her midnight blue feathers. Almost casually she flapped her wings and sent the reaper spawn around her staggering to the ground. The bird glared back at the queen, scrutinising the Reaper and her spawn. The Thunderbird squawked her ear-splitting cry and flapped her thunderous wings in challenge, sparks leaping defiantly from her feathers. The Queen answered with her own metallic scream, back arched and tail whipping into a frenzy. She still made no move towards the bird, however. The Thunderbird prowled around the Reaper in a wide arc, eyes watching the bladed tail carefully. Suddenly the Thunderbird ran directly towards the Queen, but at the last moment flapped her wings and came to a stop just out of reach of the Reaper’s tail. The wave of thunder washed over the Reaper as the Thunderbird hopped backwards a few steps. Her spawn took the brunt of the concussive force but it was enough to catch Azadine off guard, as she stumbled backwards awkwardly, eyes never leaving her foe. The Thunderbird took to the air with a mighty wingbeat, then she dove towards Azadine. The bird feinted right before swerving left, electrified claws outstretched to grab the Reaper with a flurry of thunderous wingbeats. She fell for the feint, and was grabbed by the bird and electricity coursed through her veins as she screamed furiously. It was the rage that became paramount in her dire situation, as adrenaline coursed and she sent out her own flurry of blows with her free claws and tail. The Thunderbird held on through the slashing of Azadine’s claws. The avian’s wing beats and screeching disoriented the Reaper and electricity seized her muscles, making it difficult to attack with any accuracy. Then there was a grisly squelch and a blossom of pain and coldness. The Thunderbird looked down to find Azadine’s bladed tail in her abdomen and her eyes widened in shock. Yet the Thunderbird gripped tighter, more desperate now than ever to keep the Reaper in her clutches. The Thunderbird cried out, a final surge of lightning arcing across her feathers and into Azadine. Her eyes burst into flame as the current scorched her body, rippling her insides into but burnt flesh, and charred bone. Slowly her flailing weakened, until the last nerve in her body was destroyed and the Reaper Mother died with it. The Thunderbird finally let go and staggered away a few steps. Reaper spawn swarmed towards her and with her electricity spent the spawn were able to attack her. Lethargically the Thunderbird swept a wing, a ripple of thunder staggering the spawn, yet more came to avenge their mother. The Thunderbird took flight, escaping the reach of the spawn, but her flight was unsteady and she crashed down a few moments later. The spawn closed back in and she tried to fend them off with wing and beak while backing away. Then her legs gave out, she fell to the ground, and the reaper spawn closed in. Yet they were interrupted by a rumbling in the ground. The spawn looked up, screeched in rage and ran elsewhere, their attention torn from the Thunderbird. The Thunderbird lifted her head a fraction. Through fading vision she saw an army of giant red crabs charging forwards to meet the reaper swarm. “Caw…” The Thunderbird’s voice trailed off into the wind. The crabs might have been too late to save her, but they would finish her mission. The Thunderbird’s head dropped back down and the world slipped into darkness. [hider=Summary] Azadine and her horde of Reaper Spawn were travelling south down Atokhekwoi, razing everything in their path. The Thunderbird arrives. Azadine and the Thunderbird duke it out. In the end they both die. Ahomauoi appear in time to mop up the Reaper Spawn. The survivors scatter. [/hider]