Many things were happening at once. Unfortunately, all of them outside. Sveta struggled with the chair; she managed to roll to one side, but she was still lying on the floor. Now her shoulder was throbbing too.

She hoped her shout helped. There was yelling outside, and crashing noises, and she hoped the good guys were on their way.

Then, Lion returned with a winged kid and dropped him next to her.
Sveta stared. The kid was about Jude's age, maybe a bit older, and had wings and... was that a tail? He looked bloody and beaten up. Poor kid.
A second thought emerged in Sveta's mind.

Is this my rescue team? Sh*t.

>>“Yo! Snagglepuss! Your pals are already down and back up is coming. I think you should throw in the towel!”

The Lion grinned, flashing yellow fangs.

"Just a minute" he growled at the man outside, then bent down to Sveta and licked her up her neck and on the cheek. Sveta squirmed away and cursed in Russian. Moment later, she was covered in lion drool, and he was stronger than ever before.

"BE CAREFUL HE IS STRONGER!" she yelled, which earned her a kick in the ribs that knocked the air out of her lungs. Then, the lion left.

"Sh*t." she muttered, gasping for air, looking at the boy lying next to her "Hey, wake up. We need help."

For all she knew, the man outside was just a human.

"Come on" she muttered at the boy "Come on, wake up."

Her hands were still lied to the chair; she squirmed and inched closer, trying to reach out to him. Just a few inches more... just a few...
And because he was beaten up, and she was desperate, and her hands were tied, she kissed the winged boy on the forehead.

Images blurred passed the shifter, as he was oblivious to all around him. He heard a familiar voice here and there, a tug on his tail, his wing and the sensation of dropping. Other than that though he felt nothing, just quite it was a feeling that unnerved him at first but as he embraced the feeling of nothing he had come to enjoy it. Thoughts trailed throughout his drifting most of them consisted of where he was or what he was doing there.

His first thought was death but he figured he would have been burning or in bliss and seeing, as he was neither he decided to investigate. His eyes were shut they wouldn’t open, as the moments went on the smell of old copper and iron tickled his nostrils. He was defiantly still alive but why couldn’t he open his eyes? A few more seconds passed and his head felt warm, and it started to hurt like it was near a flame. The rest of his body hurt and he couldn’t move much of his body. His limbs were stiff and he couldn’t feel his tail nor his wings. Something was wrong.

His thoughts rushed as voices started to plague his ears almost as if his hearing was turned down to a certain point. One of the voices that progressively got louder struck fear into his heart. His stomach lurched and his heart started to race, it was a deep and aggressive voice that if he had the ability he would have ran. However he couldn’t the body of the young Irishmen laid their motionless the only signs that he was still alive was the small motions up and down his chest started making to signal his breathing.

The air he was taking in was bitter, more metal it tasted bad and he didn’t like it. Before he could think much on the taste he heard another pair of voices, one was scared like him and the other one was more collective and calming, it was familiar and it started to remind him on where he was.

Snagglepuss really? That was the best his friend could come up with? If Carrick’s body wasn’t in so much pain and he could have opened his eyes he would have stood up and corrected Jorge with something far more appropriate than snagglepuss. The scared voice yelled again and his ears rang out again. She was close, closer than the other two were. Glad Carrick wasn’t near the other voice he tried to will himself to move any part of his body.

A tail twitched slightly and he felt some thing else warm on his lips something he recalled fondly when he was a child. It was comforting something his mother used to do when he was scared when he was younger. However this person who had kissed him wasn’t his mother.

His eyes snapped open and his pupils dilated and turned to slits his vision returned tenfold and he felt all the pains of his body vanish almost instantly. Carrick lifted his head and looked to the woman who had kissed him and he felt blood rush to his cheeks. She was pretty… ”…Hi…” the shifter said nervously. His now keen eyes picked up on the situation she was in.

She was tied to a chair in a cliché like manner one someone would expect in a superhero movie or something. Smirking slightly Carrick stood up and shook his head slightly forcing a drop of blood to stray from his still bleeding wound. It went unnoticed however as Carrick stepped over to the woman already going into save the cheerleader mode ignoring how he felt seconds before. ”Are you alright?” Carrick asked as he removed a small pocketknife from his pocket and started to go to work on the ropes starting with the ones that bound her hands.

Once the knife cut through Carrick heard the voice again it was deep and threatening and his heartbeat quickened once again. His breathing became heavy and that feeling of strength he felt seconds before started to hurt bad. Dropping the knife at the woman’s side Carrick fell over and clutched at his chest. His heart was on fire now making it feel like it was about to leap out his chest Carrick started to gasp for air.

Curling up into a ball he let out some small grunts and then he felt it. He was about to shift the familiar feeling of his body twisting and stretching started to take over and he relaxed a bit, it wasn’t the first time he was hit by a shift attack however he had thought he had overcome it since he learned to control it.

The slits his pupils had become thinned even more and his tail started to flail violently behind him expressing the amount of pain he was in. Stretching his body from the fetal to his stomach facing the ground Carrick clenched his teeth and slammed his limbs into the ground like he normally did before a shift. However like his normal shift his body was in far much more pain a pain he was unfamiliar with. He didn’t know why this shift hurt so bad but he just wanted it to end.

Wings snapped open and there was a low rumble in his throat different from the screech he normally released before the shift. This one sounded more like a cat’s growl. His eyes snapped shut and his teeth clamped once again as more rumbles exited his throat. His eyes snapped open and his mouth opened as his teeth started to grow and sharpen another sound exited his mouth as his nails dug into the ground and they two began to change. His nails grew and his skin started to bubble and warp. A thin layer of brown fur started to cover his body as his shoes around his feet stretched and ripped apart to make way for his new paw like feet. The ground under his hands was marked as razor sharp nails scratched upon them.

It took a second but the shift was complete and Carrick stood on all fours looking around looking more like a cat with wings than anything else. A thin layer of hair matted together to resemble a mane as more fur covered his body completely. Lifting his lips and sniffing the air Carrick turned his fur-covered face and revealed his razor sharp teeth to the woman behind him along with his new body and a low roar that echoed throughout the room.

(OOC: Permission was given to post before Liz)

((OOC: Indeed it was))

Lion stalked forward, very slowly as he got closer to the cop. He took his time, knowing that he could take the older man down in a moment and that the rest of the police (if they were even called) couldn’t possibly arrive within the next ten minutes. Plenty of time to grab the jewels and go.

He made no show of trying to hide from the man, not only because there really wasn’t any cover, but also because he knew he could avoid anything thrown at him. He had never felt so alive before! His senses had grown so acute he could hear the pounding of hearts form everyone in the room, smell their fear and excitement. His entire body quivered with energy, ready to be unleashed. He nonchalantly flexed his arms as he prowled closer, feeling the strain of his amped-upped muscles beneath. He ran his tongue along the outside of his lips.

He was going to enjoy this.

And his anticipation for what was about to come is quite possibly the reason he had unconsciously ignored all the sounds behind him. At least, that was until he heard a leonine roar echo around the room, way too close for comfort.

Lion whirled around and backed away, trying to keep this new threat and the cop both in his line of sight. And honestly, what he saw scared him. In the spot where that freakishly-winged and tailed boy had lain, curled up in a bleeding mess of flesh, crouched an abomination of a giant cat with the same golden wings as the boy. Lion looked over the creature and noted its sharp teeth, claws, and general bad attitude.

Then he made his choice.

He pirouetted around and lunged to the floor a yard in front of the cop, crouching on all fours much like the abnormal freak behind him. Then, in a movement so fluidly graceful it could only have been done by a cat, he leaped onto the cop’s chest, riding the man down hard onto the concrete floor. A split second later he sprang away, landing fifteen feet down the hall. Then he began running for the doors.

Once outside, he paused for only a moment to make a plan. He needed to get away. But how? The cop had a gun but had somehow taken down Piggy and Gorilla without firing a shot. Not to mention that flying freak!

Then a small scuffling sound on a nearby roof gave him the perfect plan. after all, hostages always made for the best escapes.

---

The wind had picked up a bit, slashing through the clouds above and tearing them apart. Elizabeth merely rolled her eyes. Cloud-gazing just wasn’t very exciting. And it kept getting colder, too. Liz stuffed her hands inside of her jacket pockets. Fortunately, she had dressed warmly, planning for several trips through the colder skies of New York. Also, she loved the cold. She just didn’t want frostbite.

She tried closing her eyes and listening to all the commotion going on in the not-so-abandoned warehouse and tried imagining what was happening. Undoubtedly Jorge was kicking tons of tail and saving the girl whilst Carrick was probably still flying around somewhere, completely leading the lion-dude on. It reminded her of a very clichéd action movie. Although in action movies, there were never people lounging around the tops of hard-roofed warehouses with absolutely nothing to do but imagine possible movie plots.

Then she heard the doors of the warehouse open with a loud BANG! Interest perked, she scrambled off her back and knelt near the edge of the roof, looking down upon the target building. It’s floors were wide open. But nobody was there. She waited a few moments, thinking maybe someone was on the way.

And that’s when she was swept off her feet.

She was suddenly suspended in mid-air, clutched to the hairy, smelly chest of some under-washed thug. A golden-brown furred arm wrapped around her arms and waist, pinning her against her captor tightly. Another hand-paw gripped her throat in a loose hold. She could barely see long black claws stretch from the man’s hand and felt their tips gently burrow into the skin on her neck.

And because Elizabeth’s life was so clearly in danger, she did what any innocent extra on the set of a bad action/horror movie would do. She screamed bloody murder.

Okay there was simply way too much for Jorge to process at one time. First of all, as he announced his presence, he had hoped that the Lion would have taken the hint that he was finished. After all, he had not heard from his flunkies and once a criminal is by themselves, usually they surrender. But there was a couple of things going wrong right now: Jorge was by himself with no back up, Kitty seemed to be hopped up on something, and Carry was now putting on his best impression of a HELLBEAST. It was the last one that troubled the detective most of all. He heard the transformation and the issuing cry of pain/anger and as he peered into the darkness, he could not see it right away. It was only as the thrashing beast stepped into the light that Jorge realized what had happened.

“Carrey?” he muttered.

But he did not get a long chance to look. The Lion had different plans. He was obviously scared too, but on top of that, he was beginning to feel cornered. Being hopped up and cornered definitely does not clear one’s head. As a matter of fact, it instead makes one feel as if they are completely and utter invulnerable. That must have been why he charged directly for him.

The Lion turned, eyed his chances with each, and finally booked it straight for the gawking detective. Jorge barely had time to raise his gun away when the Lion pounced on him, pushed him flat to the ground. In that second, he knew he could have been killed. All it would have taken the Lion was the simple snap of his jaws and that would be the end of this water-bending detective. But instead, the Lion apparently did not want to stick around for Carrey’s attention. He hopped a good distance away and fled for the doors.

Jorge breathed a momentary sigh of relief as he lay there and began to get up, but another howl from the angered Carrey pulled his attention back to the maddened man-beast. He stood, eyes looked on the newly transformed thief, the second lion he’d seen this night, but this was far more nightmarish, and just stared at a complete loss as to what to do. Slowly he crept forward, momentarily forgetting the escaping Lion and attempted to check on Carrey. He definitely did not look like he could be reasoned with.

“Carrey? Can you hear me?” Jorge asked as he slowly approached. It was not until he looked past him that he noticed the second figure, still tied to a chair. “Sveta?” he asked.

Then, a scream pierced the night air outside. He remembered that Liz was with the little thief.

You’ve gotta be kidding me! he snapped to himself.

Quick assessment of the situation: 1) He couldn’t leave Carrey alone, he was his friend and in this enraged state he could easily killed Sveta; 2) the Lion was escaping; 3) Liz was outside screaming, which may or may not be directly done because of the Lion.

Why can’t there be more of me? he muttered. It was while he was staring at Carrey that he finally got an idea. He needed to pulled the transformed beast away from Sveta and towards the Lion. It would be his only shot. So, kneeling down, he snatched up a rather large piece of brick, weighed it in his hand and eyed the Irish beast.

“Carrey!!” he screamed and began to job backwards. “Follow the leader!!” he screamed, hurled the brick at the thief’s head and ran for the doors that the Lion just ran out of. God he hoped he could be fast enough.

The winged boy turned into... something. A winged beast, more likely. From the angle Sveta was looking at him, he looked really, really menacing. She got the impression that the transformation hurt him too, it did not look like he had done this before.

Oh great. Overkill.

The lion was on the loose, still stronger from her powers. And the rescue team was... not really a team.

>>“Carrey? Can you hear me? Sveta?”

"I'm fine, I'm fine" she hurried to tell him; he already had a lot to worry about, and she would just quietly rest on the floor while they took care of the rest.

The rest being whoever was screaming outside and whatever they were screaming about. "Go!"

>>“Carrey!! Follow the leader!!”

Yes, carrey. Follow the leader. Good kitten.

Smells and sounds overwhelmed his thoughts, flashes of lights and movement distracted him, he was moving slowly on instincts there was no tomorrow or later only the now. Movement to his back shifted his attention to a human with blonde hair and Carrick’s brown face reacted with the flaring of nostrils and the baring of his teeth. He snarled and sniffed the air taking in her scent it smelled sweet for the most part but fear was on her face it was clear she posed no immediate threat there was no reason to fight or flight.

Carrick snarled and felt an impact on his head forcing it to lower on impact his eyes fixed on the rock that he was attacked with and snapped his attention towards the assailant. Carrick’s body lowered and his hair stood on end. He let out a low growl and opened his wings slightly turning his body towards his attacker. He wasn’t as scared and he was standing tall. Fight registered and Carrick took a step closer ready to defend his position as an alpha for that was what he was.

The man who threw the brick turned and ran towards the door and just like that the hunt was initiated. Letting out a small growl Carrick forgot about the woman and leaped into the air. Wings opened momentarily and aided the jump maximizing the distance covered in a single leap. Once Carrick’s new form hit the ground all fours were set in motion to carry the beast after the man who lobbed the brick.

“Cut that out, you!” the thug growled. He moved his paw from Elizabeth’s throat and transferred it to her mouth, almost completely smothering her. The fur and flesh muffled her screams, but that didn’t matter to her. She couldn’t really do anything else. She couldn’t use her arms or hands, due to them being pinned. She tried kicking, but her feet were dangling too far above the man’s feet and too low to get anything important. She even tried possessing the guy, since he was a lion. But no, nada, nothing. She couldn’t even get a lick of emotion from him, other than the one’s he was already displaying.

So she screamed. She possibly could’ve bitten him, but she doubted it would work. Also, she really did not want that filthy hand inside her mouth. The very thought alone made a shudder run through her.

And then the lion guy roared. “RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!” Like, from ten inches above her head. It sounded like she was sitting next to a jet plane. It made her earlier screams sound like a lover’s whisper. It was probably just for the heck of it, too. Because doesn’t everyone get really excited and all dominant-male when they’ve just captured a completely harmless, innocent, teenage girl bystander? Or maybe it was a carefully constructed challenge to Mr. Cervantes, something like, “I have just prevailed in taking the young female friend of your winged and tailed associate as a hostage of mine. In the case you choose to pursue me, I will forcibly rend her neck with my outrageously long fingernails.”

In either case, the roar cut off as the lion-man swung her around and proceed to run towards the edge of the warehouse and leap over to the next one. Most likely because he was aspiring to audition for a Broadway version of Tarzan & Jane later in the evening. And if Liz was learning anything from this unfortunate encounter, it was that Jane was the bravest woman in the world, for putting up with being woman-handled by a stupid jungle guy with a tendency to jump really long distances.

Jorge ran. There was little more on his mind except for that. His toned legs carried him forward, charging through the empty warehouse as he attempted to reach the exit that only seemed to be getting farther and farther away. But what was to be expected when there was a murderous lion/bird beast chasing him down as if he were some piece of steak dashing by on two legs. Though Jorge knew that inside that monster was his friend Carrick, the angry roars and the thud of his heavy paws only made him want to run all the faster. Carrick may indeed be in there but it was obvious that he had no control right now. To that boy he was little more than a target.

The last thing he wanted to do to Carrick was to make the kid feel bad in the morning for slaughtering his best cop friend. Plus…dying would have put a dampen on is day as well.

So he ran; ran with all of his might, ignoring the thudding beat of his heart in his chest and focusing only on the “Exit” door that was far ahead of him. Sweat dotted his forehead, time seemed to slow as he got closer and closer, the sound of the beastly Carrick thundered behind him like that swift moving steps of Death itself -- for the first time in awhile…Jorge was scared. Not because of his life. He was a cop, he put his life on the line all the time. He was scared for Carrick, for Sveta, for Liz. He could not let any of them down.

He prayed that whatever higher power was working in the heavens above tonight was listening to him. God…please… he groaned as he suddenly reached out, grabbed the handle and shoved his shoulder into the door with one quick motion.

Jorge stumbled out into the cool night air and immediately, the second he felt that cool air hit his lungs he wanted to sigh in relief. But peace like this never last…

>> “RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!”

The detective was half-way running from the door when another roar, different from the kind that Carrick had released earlier, tore through the air. He skidded to a stop, gravel spilling over his shoes, as he took half a second to pause and look up for the source of that roar. It was only a glimpse he caught, but it was enough. Liz, the struggling teen, was trapped in the grip of that Lion who was now leaping across to another warehouse ceiling.

Things…were definitely not going well and he was running out of options.

He had his gun but the Lion was moving fast and, as good as a shot he was, he did not feel comfortable taking aim at the Lion while he had a hostage. No…he would have to bank on luck here. He knew Sveta’s powers, he knew she boosted everything about the person who touched her. Carrick had been awful close to her so he could only bank that his sense of smell was boosted as well. There had to be some resemblance of a memory of Liz’s scent in that beastly mind…there had to be. The detective only hoped that it would be enough to divert attention from him to the Lion who had Liz.

“Come on,” he growled. “Just a little bit of luck.”

((Skip me, Sveta's still lying tied up on the floor, she really can't do anything for now))

(Permission was given to skip Muse)

Two legs, if the beast had a sense of humor he would have been laughing as he gained on his prey, even if he was bigger it didn’t matter he was slower and the beast knew he’d be able to take him down. He smelt of fear, just a leap away now Carrick was about to pounce when he heard a roar. It was one of dominance the second he made it outside after his prey he knew he was in another predator’s territory it also meant he was going to have to fight to keep his position as an alpha.

Carrick stopped and looked up to the source of the roar and spotted his competition for the prey and now the territory. A rumble in Carrick’s throat echoed and he arched his back. The brown hairs on his back stood on end, his wings opened wide and his tail swayed behind him. By all accounts he should have seemed larger than normal it was an attempt to intimidate his challenger. Carrick roared again and took a step closer his mismatched color eyes now more cat like than human fixed on the lion-man.

His entire figure was taken in including his paws and the human in his hand. Carrick’s eyes lingered on the woman for a moment and he felt compelled to stare at her, but his instincts were still in charge, which meant he could look later after he killed or chased off this other alpha.

The beast turned his back towards the man who attacked him and inched closer to the stage where the alpha and his female was located. She was scared he could smell it and see it come off of her in waves. Carrick growled again issuing a challenge again his body starting to move closer, hand over paw Carrick moved closer and closer only growling until he was close enough. Carrick roared back and leapt into the air forcing the dirt and garbage around him to be kicked up into the air.

Giant padded furry feet slammed into the metal roof of the next building with a loud, metallic CLANG! The little girl in Lion’s grasp slipped a little upon impact, but he got a hold of her pretty quickly. Then he twisted around, stepping backwards across the roof. He might’ve dropped out of high school pretty early, but even he knew that you never left your back wide upon to a cop with a gun. Especially since that’s what the hostage was for.

With a watchful eye and a scenting nose, Lion covered his tracks. That cop had only gotten out of the warehouse and there was no way he could catch up. And that one dame, the one who made his strong, was probably still tied to her chair on the floor. A feral grin crossed his face, remembering the feeling of being near the woman. He’d never felt so strong, or powerful, even when he became a mutant. If only he could’ve taken her instead. Lion could come up with many ways to make her useful later.

But the knee-quaking roar from the ground by his headquarters focused his attention. His nimble feet faltered for a moment and he nearly stumbled on the roof. The roar was every bit as strong and fearsome as his, if not more so. It sounded more….primal, wild, and it sent a chill straight to his bones. Screw the cop, I’m outta here! Whatever that creature was, he was certain it was going to do worse to him than any mere bullet would.

He turned tail and bolted across the roof, effortlessly dragging the girl along with him. A second sounding roar echoed off the metal walls of the warehouses and nearly made him trip again. Adrenaline put more vigor in his step and he cleared the next gap between roofs with yards to spare.

But because of his haste, he never saw the demonic creature actually rise from the ground and take to air, lusting for his blood.

What was there really for Jorge to do? The man watched, cringed almost as Carrick came bursting out of the warehouse in his new beastly form. But as he stood there, ready to stare down the beast, he gulped and prayed that something in the air, some benevolent force would have mercy on both of their souls. He did not want to shoot Carrick in his own defense and he doubted a warning shot was really going to calm him down and might instead just make him more hungry for the police officer’s blood. But with every ounce of strength that he had, Jorge held his ground and hoped that fate would be on his side tonight.

There was an ear-splitting roar as Jorge stared at the beastly Carrey, his gun held in his hand seemed to weigh even more. He did not want to let too much time go without a decision. Either Carrick snapped out of it just in time or he put him out of his misery before he slaughtered half the city. It was a horrible consequence but Jorge did not want to the boy’s soul to be weighed down by that many deaths. Especially not someone as young as him.

He sighed, held his breath and closed his eyes…

Then he heard the flapping of wings. Looking up, he spied that Carrey had gotten a whiff of something else, something that sent him up into the air and darting straight after Elizabeth and the Lionman that had kidnapped her. The sound of that roar but has lit a fire under Lion’s fuzzy butt because before the detective knew it, he was bolting for the next roof that was across.

“Dammit,” Jorge growled.

If only those two were not in the roof. He needed to get Elizabeth out of there before she managed to get herself killed in the crossfire. From the sound of Carrey’s voice, he was not happy at all by the Lionman’s presence. But as he stood there and stared across to the building that the lion was leaping for, Jorge spied the fire escape, the ladder that ran all the way to the roof. He took a deep breath and flexed his leg muscles before he shook his head.

“Stupid decision, Stupid decision, stupid decision!!” he roared at himself as he dashed for the ladder and began to climb. God he was getting a work out today. He only hoped he could get to the roof in time to get Elizabeth to safety.

Back in the warehouse, Svetlana was struggling against her bonds. The ropes were strong, but the knots were loosely done, and they did not really expect her to try to escape anyway, not while the three brutes were watching her. But right now, nobody was watching, and the blonde had all the time in the world to try and struggle free. Her wrists were already bleeding from the struggle, but if she could move them... just a little bit more...
Her hands slipping free from the knots, Sveta rolled onto her side, pulling her feet free too, cursing in Russian as she did so. Her feet had fallen asleep. Struggling to be able to stand, she started towards the door.

The wind brushed the fur on the young shifter’s face he felt alive the thrill of the hunt had adrenaline pulsing through every fiber in his being this was what he was meant to do, he was the hunter. He flew high into the air his wings moving on their own taking the beast to where he wanted to go. Carrick’s voice vibrated with a low growl loud enough for only him to hear it. His altitude continued to gain until he was overlooking the pair on the roof. The blonde creature his eyes couldn’t help but fix on the look of fear in her eyes in the hands of Carrick’s new prey.

His angled eyes focused on the lion man once he stabilized in the air and he waited for a moment before he flew under the path of the sun. Carrick’s tail twitched as his fingers twitched each elongated razor sharp nail tensed ready for the kill. Carrick’s voice lashed out a loud roar carried in the air. Carrick’s body turned and he angled his body down and felt his body drop to the earth where his target was. He was only thirty feet above them but it seemed it was enough to go unnoticed.

He was right above them now his nails slipped into the fur-covered flesh and Carrick let out a fierce roar. He pounced his prey and forced his full weight on the lion-man trying to knock him over even though he weighed a third of the lion-man’s weight. It didn’t matter he was the alpha and this was his territory and he’d kill his prey it would not be his competition. Leaning forward Carrick’s jaw opened and closed onto the side of the mutants arm the beast that escaped from Carrick wanted blood and he would have it.

The golden mitt crushed Elizabeth against the hairy man’s chest when he plopped onto the next roof. She gasped for breath, her attempts to escape fractured by her lack of air. Each step of the lion’s drove his arm into her ribs again and again. Sharp pains began racing through her body each time she sucked in a mouthful of air. She felt battered and bruised, bringing memories of lying in glass and broken shelves to her mind.

Elizabeth’s terror and agony increased with every step. Mr. Cervantes could never catch up with them now! He was only a man, and her captor was a lion! And Carrick, the only one who could catch them, had been beaten so badly….

Hot tears began streaming down Elizabeth’s face. What was going to happen? Was she going to end up as a nameless Jane Doe stuffed in a dumpster somewhere? Would her parents read about her disappearance in the papers? She never doubted that she could never be returned anywhere safely. And what could she do? Lion’s emotions didn’t exist for her and she certainly couldn’t possess him. She couldn’t even pinch him.

But a then a flicker of hope struck her as a winged shadow appeared on the roof in the corner of her eye. She clung to that spark with all her might, in the chance she was saved. There was only one person who had wings in the area, and she knew he had an alternate form, one that wouldn’t be so easily stopped by a few blows from a lion-man.

UUMPHF!

A heavy impact rocked the air and Liz and her captor were suddenly rolling across the roof. Her head collided with the rough concrete, blurring the world and assaulting her with a thousand blazing needles. Skin on her face and hands scraped off. The arm around her torso smashed into her again, making her hear a small snapping sound. And then she was in a fetal ball, unable to breathe, only able to hurt and stare in horror at the scene unfolding.

---

Something rammed into Lion’s side in mid step and he and his meat-shield flew across the roof. Lion managed to focus quickly, but it was too late. A brown head appeared in his sight and he felt a huge presence by him. Then, before he could react, the head sank its fangs into the forearm he was trapping the girl with. Pain lanced throughout his body and he flung his arm back to not only rip his arm from the creature’s mouth but in an attempt to fling it away as well, with the strength of an alpha male lion.

It was then he noticed that his enhanced strength and senses were gone. That-that girl in the chair! Her powers had worn off! Fear surged within him, but he quelled it a bit. Even the Cowardly Lion got courage in the end. And he was mad, especially because of the blood dripping from the wide chunk of flesh ripped out of his arm.

In the space of a breath after breaking contact with the demon-boy, Lion flipped to his feet and sprang away from the girl, not wanting anything to possibly trip over. He roared again, but this time it was an outright challenge to the beast. He shook his mane-like hair out and then charged at the winged abomination.

And it was all watched by the girl with the huge brown eyes.