The bright blue flash striking down from the hill was all the signal they needed. Rhazii and Sabine both screamed, one in pain, the other in fright.

Janius flung his arm around and let loose a flying magical icicle at the nearest bowman. It happened to be the Bosmer with the crossbow. He would have to trust the others around him to get at the other one. The ice spike struck the Bosmer in his side with force enough to cause him to recoil. Janius charged at the elf at full tilt, intending to tackle him to the ground. He had to keep him from shooting.

The reaction Fendros had might not have been the most considered, but he didn't hesitate either. He spun and scooped Rhazii up in his arms. He ran to behind the standing stone just nearby and placed Rhazii down. At this point, the frightened cub had tears glistening in his eyes. Fendros knelt down and held him by the shoulders, speaking frantically. "Rhazii, you will stay here, you will stay out of sight, don't make a noise..."

Even if Rhazii wanted to respond with more than a failed grasp at his father and a choked sob, Fendros immediately began the process of transforming. He could only hope that the others wouldn't be harmed at this point.

When the lightning struck, Sabine realised just how much she had underestimated the pain it would cause. Still, her captor had dropped his dagger and slid off to one side. Gentle wisps of smoke rose from the folds of his clothing. Sabine regained her balance and tried to react with more than surprise. She brought fire spells to her hands - nothing nuanced, just a panicked reaction. Certainly not the quick kill she had in mind previously. There were assailants all around her, so she sprayed flames in their general directions as liberally as her hands could cover. It would take a few seconds to regain her bearings and retreat. For now, the flames she conjured were unlikely to cause more than minor burns and a distraction, perhaps even momentary blindness from the light.

Where everyone was fighting, Tzirret was frozen. He had been caught flat footed with quivering knees. It was the truth that he had been trained as Peiter had, but he didn't have a weapon. He was at a loss. One part of his mind found itself in a powerful position from this state. All it took was a wordless suggestion from his beast spirit in his mind and he let it take over. He buckled forward and let the pain flow through his burgeoning body as he began to transform.

The light and sound were more than enough to bring Gallus' attention to the commotion down the hill. He slid to a stop beside where Leaps had charged from and pulled out his hammer and a knife that no one saw him carrying. With a sprint down the hill, he would be in the fray as well.