The one thing Twitch hated about surprises was that they were always unexpected. Ambush had taken his life tens of times, and that count only numbered the successful attempts. The muscular paw arced through the stone underneath him, took his light form under the belly along with a heap of crushed stone, knocked his legs away from under him with excellent aim. A bolt flew to tear a hole in the dragon's sweeping wing as Twitch struggled against the mess of scale and claw that had become the only ground he was standing on. Pulling its hand away to swipe again, the retracting talon slid a gash against the rat's ribs, tossing him into the air to twist and fall. Twitch curled, bounced and squeaked as he skidded along the stone, shards of mountain abrading cruelly against his wound. [i]It SAW me! Quiet as a mouse, eyeless no less, and it saw me![/i] Pain dissolved into fury.

Light was flaring all around from blades ([i]Gut it like a cheap fish![/i]) and guns ([i]Shoot for the belly, redcoat, shoot it![/i]) and angelic song ([i]Shut up![/i]) and all of it inflamed Twitch's temper. Most of the effort was focusing the dragon's wings, oddly distant now ([i]The thing ditched me like a faithless boyfriend, I'll give it that before it dies[/i]). The necromancer was keeping his distance, but his hand remained in the battle. As the zombie ran, Twitch erupted from the black fog to drag himself on its back, every movement in his upper body reminding him why he hungered after blood. The beast's back was well above the mist and the melee. "Do you see me NOW, smokestacks‽" shrieked Twitch as his bow flung a bolt at the thing's lower neck. The familiar sensation of life-steal itched in his wound as he strung another. The bolt leapt forth as the beast closed in and Twitch fell backwards, letting the slope of its back carry him out of the dragon's vicinity before the monsters collided. Fragile, hairless skin was knitting at the edge of his wound as he ran, leaving the zombie to cover him.