W.I.T.C.H.: Cries from the Woods

Part 7 Territory Fight

Three words are all it takes to make or break a situation and Will's three, simple, words just broke it. Phobos's mind went blank as he stared his wife in the eyes; the creature forgotten for the moment. He wished he had a way to get her out of this place; to get her back to Meridian; to the castle with its' high walls and warm rooms. Instead, they were out here in the snowy woods with an unknown creature, ready to bite their heads off. His attention was torn from his wife by the creature when it jumped the gap between them, ready to bite their throats. Luckily, Phobos hadn't let the ball of energy dissipate and threw it at the creature without a second of hesitation, hitting it square in the chest and throwing the thing back a few feet; still, the blast hadn't killed it. Like the previous attack, the green flames seemed to drip from the creature's body like raindrops. The few feet of distance between them didn't allow for much, they couldn't run and carrying Will would slow them down enough for the thing to catch them. All they could do is stand their ground and fight until the others arrived.

The creature hissed and howled when its' back hit a nearby tree; causing some of the bark to crumble off and hit the snow. Phobos was ready to throw another attack at the thing, but Will beat him to the punch by hurling quintessence at the thing; hitting it in the face. However, that too only dripped off the creature like her husband's attacks had. This thing seemed to be magic proof. The force was strong enough to seemingly dislocate the thing's jaw, which limply hung open for a moment; giving the two a good view of the creature's teeth. On full display, they were even more grotesque than before; it had no molars, they all consisted of sharp, discolored, nail-like spikes that stuck out in odd angles. Its' tongue was long, pale in color, and appeared to be covered in tiny hairs like that of a cat.

This thing's mouth was made to tear and shred.

Furthermore, it didn't hinder the thing; it simply snapped its' jaw back in place with a swift jerk of its' neck; making a sickening cracking sound as it does. The two newlyweds exchanged frightened glances as the thing was distracted; there was no way they could continue to fight this thing. Each of their attacks simply dripped off the thing and any physical damage is repaired instantly. However, their brief moment was cut short when the thing roared, sounding like a person screaming for their life while their lungs were filling with blood, and jumped at them.

Phobos had no chance to conjure another attack and neither did Will; it took them a few seconds to gather the energy and they were already weakened. As the thing came closer, Phobos stood between it and Will with his arms wrapped around her; if it was going to get them, it would get him first and give her a chance; a minute chance, but a chance, nonetheless. In a desperate act, as anyone would do, Will shut her eyes and held out her hand like a shield as if she could physically force time to stop.

She had expected her husband to be ripped from her any second, but that didn't happen. To her surprise, all she heard was a faint thud; it sounded similar to a hand slapping glass. In surprise, Will's eyes snapped open and she saw what had stopped the thing; somehow, a pink-shaded dome had formed over them as a barrier between them and that thing. It was her magic; she had managed to form a shield using her quintessence. After a second, her husband noticed as well.

"I didn't know you could do this." He gasped in surprise; the creature momentarily forgotten.

"Neither did I, but I am not complaining," Will responded, still surprised about what she could do. She had never considered attempting a shield with her magic; all she had ever done was use it as attacks. However, her surprise and joy were short-lived as the thing kept throwing its' body against the shield and minor cracks in the barrier began to form. Seeing this, Phobos held up his hand and, below Will's barrier, as second one forms in a light green color; this way, they might buy themselves a few minutes until help arrived. Still, small cracks began to form, and Will looked at her husband in concern and, though he had the same worries, he attempted to hide his.