The Wolf’s Daughter

Stone crumbled around Phaedra as she was sent flying through the wall and outside her small fortress. She rolled a few times before coming to a stop. “Ugh… can’t ever do half measures, can you?” she asked before slowly getting to her hooves.

“If you won’t do what needs to be done,” Yroth said before she walked slowly through the hole she’d made in the tunnels. “But then also interfere when I try to fix it? I don’t have that luxury.”

“I can handle her,” Phaedra said as calmly as she could. She made a mental note to thank Gibs later. His training had really paid off, before she’d been under his guidance being slammed through the walls of the caverns would have left her barely able to stand. Her wool was covered in dirt, but she had very few bruises. “I can handle my family. If it comes to it, then—”

“Then you’ll just let them kill you?” Yroth asked, her voice cold. She finally came to a stop a few feet from her, staring down at her. “You’ll lay down and let it happen because you refuse to fight? Or will you try, and fail, over and over until one does slay you?”

“No,” Phaedra said before gulping. “I can handle them, though. If it comes down to it then—”

“Morgana, you are too soft,” Yroth said before shaking her head. “They will slay you. You sheath your claws for fear of hurting those who would rip out your throat in an instant. I… won’t let that happen again. Even if I have to hurt you to ensure it.”

Phaedra gulped and took a small step back when Yroth began to grow once again, her body adopting its true draconic form.

Phaedra looked around and felt her own courage wavering slightly. Some of her soldiers had begun to approach and see what was going on, only to turn tail and flee the moment they saw Yroth’s growing form. Not that she could blame them. Threats like this were the reason demons like her even HAD territory and followers. It was her duty to ensure that threats like this didn’t attack them.

“Very well,” Phaedra said before she let her wool fall away. Her own form began to grow, once more becoming the great black wolf.

Unfortunately, even at her largest she was barely half the size of Yroth’s dragon form. She supposed she couldn’t be surprised, Yroth had attained her power ages before Phaedra had even come to this world, let alone become a demon herself. It still felt a bit intimidating seeing Yroth raise up one massive clawed hand and then slamming it down at her head.

Phaedra leaped back, narrowly avoiding the claw before dashing back in, turning her head and biting into the arm. She felt the scales under her teeth bend, but refuse to break. Worse, a moment later great waves of heat washed over her and she was torn off the arm, sent hurtling across the courtyard while the scent of burnt wool filled the air.

She supposed she should be grateful they hadn’t had time to build too much, if she’d had a bunch of statues or displays in the main courtyard, they’d be getting torn apart.

Phaedra instead rose back to her paws and shook, sending ash and burned fur into the air. Flames lightly trickled out from Yroth’s mouth, though she didn’t send any at her yet. Instead, she spread her wings out and waved a claw back towards the remains of her fortress.

Phaedra dashed forward. Yroth thrust her head forward and fire erupted from her mouth.

The world turned entirely black for a moment and Phaedra disappeared, only to reappear behind Yroth. Her teeth sunk deep into Yroth’s wing, biting it at the base.

Yroth let out a pained snarl before trying to twist and turn to knock her off, before finally rolling onto the ground and crushing Phaedra beneath her in a bid to get her off. Unfortunately for her, Phaedra had been trained by Gibs to ensure she knew how to hold on as long as possible. She lashed out with her own paws, digging the claws deep into her back. This time she was rewarded by tearing away a few scales and the scent of blood.

Unfortunately, Yroth finally managed to coil her tail around Phaedra and yank her off, slamming her into the ground. The tail didn’t uncoil, instead Yroth pounced on her, fire once again in her throat.

Phaedra’s body shifted slightly as all four of her paws grew long, massive claws that dug into Yroth’s body. She scratched and flailed angrily, tearing away scales and forcing Yroth to pull back, snarling and tossing her away.

Phaedra hit the ground, hard, but quickly got to her paws in time to avoid a fireball almost as large as her. She then growled and started to circle Yroth. She’d managed to tear away a few of the scales and draw blood, but she ached all over. She tasted blood, some of it from the dragon but most of it her own. Worse, while Yroth was bleeding, she looked barely tired at all, while Phaedra was panting with exertion.

She’d really hoped that the stories she’d heard of Ascended Dragons were exaggerated. Worse, she was beginning to suspect that Yroth might be holding back. It really put into perspective just how weakened she must have been when she had been bound in chains before.

Phaedra leaped forward again, ducking under Yroth’s arm when the dragon attempting to backhand her, before leaping up to try and bite her throat. Yroth’s wing slammed into her from the side, driving her into the ground once again. She started to get up, only for Yroth’s tail to slam down on her side with so much force the ground shook.

Phaedra laid there and gave a low, exhausted whimper. She hurt all over.

“Do you understand now?” Yroth asked. “Just leave this fool’s death to me and—”

The world turned black once more when her body turned to shadows. She rose up from Yroth’s shadow, her fangs digging into Yroth’s throat with as much force as she could manage. From her jaw ice erupted, coursing over Yroth’s head.

Yroth reached out and grabbed the wolf with both claws, before extending her wings. She then leaped up into the air, taking both of them into the sky. Phaedra tightened her grip as best she could, digging her claws into Yroth’s hide. But the scales on her throat refused to give in the slightest. She could feel herself being dragged higher and higher…

And then they both plummeted. Phaedra clawed and bit and thrashed, but Yroth didn’t show the slightest hint of slowing down.

Then they both slammed into the ground, Yroth on top of her. Teeth were torn from Phaedra’s mouth and she lost her grip, falling off the dragon. The Ascended Dragon rose over her slowly, eyes narrowed. “Have you learned your lesson?”

Phaedra tried to say something, but all she could do was whimper. Everything hurt. All she could taste was blood. She never would have imagined Yroth could be so powerful. Or perhaps she was just so weak. How did she ever think she could compare with this?

How much of a difference would it have made in the end, if Yroth had been there in the final fight?

Yroth went still suddenly, lifting her head before looking around. She then stopped and chuckled, before turning around. “Good. I’ll deal with this, then. I—”

Phaedra’s paw reached out, pressing down on Yroth’s tail when it started to go past her.

She couldn’t keep fighting. She knew that. Why? She knew she had lost. Why was she fighting so hard?

Fenrir would kill her. They’d all kill her. Why in the world was she fighting so hard to protect a family that would kill her the moment they knew who she truly was?

“Phaedra… Morgana…” Yroth said softly before looking back at her. “Stop this. This is for your own good. Do not make me hurt you anymore.”

“S-stop…” Phaedra said softly before she tried, desperately, to get to her paws. Her legs gave out before she was even halfway there.

Yroth turned back to her before lifting her tail up. “As… you said once before, Phaedra…” The dragon said before lifting a claw into the air. Phaedra closed her eyes and gave a pathetic whine. “Sleep… and trust—”

“STOP!” Dixxy yelled.

Phaedra groggily opened her eyes to see Dixxy standing in front of her, arms spread out, as if she could try and shield her. It was foolish. Ridiculous. Dixxy couldn’t have taken her down, let alone Yroth.

“Convenient,” Yroth said before lifting a claw up to crush Dixxy.

Phaedra felt the anger grow inside her to a massive, burning blaze. Her paws reached out, grabbing Dixxy and pulling her against her chest. The ground around her rumbled before she launched every ounce of magic she could outward, trying to drive Yroth away. She closed her eyes and held her cousin close as she launched every drop of power she could in a hurricane of magic, the ground around her erupting in vicious, violent streaks of rock.

Finally, there was no more left and Phaedra collapsed to the ground, the spell brought to a close and she once again opened her eyes. Everything was so bright and blurry, exhaustion and tears ruining her vision. It took a few tries but, weakly, she began to see clearly.

Yroth wasn’t moving. Spires of rock surrounded Phaedra in all directions, having been driven up by her magic. The courtyard was a maze of the spires.

Yroth’s body had been pierced in at least a dozen places. Her outreached claw was pierced in three places. Blood dripped out from the dragon in thin torrents. For a few, scant moments, Phaedra thought she had killed the dragon and felt a wave of regret and shame.

Then Yroth spread her wings and spun, tearing the piercing rocks apart. While they’d managed to pierce her hide, few of the wounds were very deep. Only one had managed to fully go through her arm, the others barely piercing her scales. Every ounce of power and magic she had and the only thing she’d managed to do was cut her up a bit and hurt an arm.

“I… I’m sorry…” Phaedra whispered as her vision began to get blurry again. She’d spent far too much magic, too much of her power. Everything she’d had…

And it was barely enough to slow Yroth down. She couldn’t protect her cousin. She couldn’t even protect herself.

No wonder Fenrir had been so worried about her. This really was all she was capable of.

At least, she supposed, if she died this time she wouldn’t be reborn here. Probably.

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