Who: Ba'al glorifygluttony Zadok judgementcomes Taj svelosynco Casper feedhimtowolves & Dally blackvelvetplea Where: Lake Michigan and somewhere else/possibly Hell or somewhere else of Ba'al's choosing, not sure yet. When: Predated to the coming Full Moon. May 6th What: Taj stays with Casper during the full moon and what happens when a werewolf doesn't listen to the demon who claims him with Satan's infernal servant by his side. Taj calling Dally, the SILVER dragon to find and help his WEREWOLF partner. Warnings: Character injuries (violence), Npc deaths, Language, Status: In Progress - Still Adding
Casper They were camping again, this time at Lake Michigan but how good it would do Casper wasn’t entirely sure, if he tried hard enough he could still hear the sounds of the city and some small part of him worried that his wolf would try and swim across the lake in an attempt to get back to civilisation, back to where there were people to feast upon but not only that, if he didn’t try to return to the city he worried that he might turn his hunger upon Taj and that was the very last thing he wanted to ever do, he just hoped to God or whoever else might have been listening in on his thoughts that the Sphinx would keep his promise and fly away if things took a turn for the worst.
He sat still as stone and completely silent outside of their little tent in the grass, his azure blue eyes locked on the sun as it began its descent below the horizon, he was nervous and he was afraid, he couldn’t remember ever changing in front of someone before and sure Taj may have seen him change from wolf to human before but he had a feeling this would be different, the change back never hurt as much as the change into his wolf skin. He tried not to think about it, he tried not to think about what he might do because it only put him even more on edge, something he had noticeably been all day. He was sure that Taj would have picked up on how odd he’d been that day but bless his soul he hadn’t said a word about it, maybe he’d been too distracted by the museum to notice the way Casper struggled not to rip the throats out of anyone who so much as glanced his way or stood too close to Taj. Even as he watched the sun go down he found himself wondering what had been up at the museum, he’d never seen his Sphinx act like that before, he’d asked him about it but that hadn’t really provided many answers, if there was one thing Casper knew at this time of the month though it was instinct and something inside of Taj had come to the surface, he’d never seen the Sphinx take on a stance so protective before, it was strange, very strange and truth be told Casper wasn’t sure if he liked it.
Taj: It was true, Taj's instincts were kicking in and were far more alive than they'd ever been after all the stimulus he'd been getting on this road trip, opening up gateways inside him that were sealed shut, rusty if you will from years of neglect. He'd seen parts of his treasure before but never was the pull quite this strong. It took some doing to even get Taj to leave the museum. Actually they were just pretty lucky a renowned college professor walked by sending Taj's instincts in another direction -hungry- for more knowledge. He'd followed him on out the door like a lion ready to pounce. Something happened when the sun hit his eyes, reflecting from his glasses, snapping him out of it. Taj hadn't eaten in a while, not since the paper boy. He'd gone longer than this before, loads longer, but with all his inner senses being prickled and tuned and turned on such alert the pull was stronger with that too. He suddenly realized they were out in the open and hunting human in the noonday public wasn't such a great idea. He buried that one the best he could, as he always did. But, once the pair was back at the lake and they were both knew the moon was coming Taj was growing more clingy. He was stuck to Casper's side as they sat by their campsite just outside a tent. He knew once Casper changed things would be different. They couldn't speak. He wouldn't have that familiar face to gaze in or hand to hold while being so far from home. It was only one night. That's what Taj kept trying to tell himself. One night and it would be over and everything could go back to normal and they could finally go see the snow. He had his arms looped around his mate's and kissed his shoulder as his peripheral vision kept watch on the sky. "I love you." He said in a tone that almost sounded like a goodbye.
Casper: It wasn’t until he heard that tone in Taj’s voice, a tone that very much had the ability to break his heart did Casper remember he was there, the feel of the other’s arm against his own suddenly making him feel claustrophobic, his skin quickly reaching that familiar feeling of being stretched far too much over a body that no longer felt familiar to him. Slowly he turned his head to face his mate, teeth chewing on the corner of his lower lip as his gaze searched his face for an answer to a question he couldn’t seem to recall, he was struggling to remember words even as he opened his mouth to respond to the other nothing came out. Instead he leaned over and kissed him, softly, slowly ignoring the way his lips seemed to feel unfamiliar, as though he couldn’t quite figure out why they were there before it eventually became too much and he pulled away slowly, hand slowly sliding away from where his palm had come up to cup around Taj’s cheek. “...I love you too.” He whispered out, his voice trembling a little as he slipped his arm away from where the other was gripping it. “I need you to move back now...” The warmth of the dying sunlight had left his face and he knew without even looking, as he reached for his jacket, pulling it over his head along with his shirt that the fading colours that danced through the sky, a final reflection of the day that had just passed would soon be disappearing too.
Taj: Taj took everything that kiss was worth. Casper may have been sinking back but Taj was holding on. He was holding on not wanting to waste even a moment's connection. He could see the distance in Casper's eyes though, felt how even though he spoke with care for the sphinx's safety, there was a part of him already gone. He'd not heard those three words from the other yet and it felt nice even inside the somber crisp air that consumed the lake. Taj nodded, furrowed his expression not wanting to let go, but did, and stood back on his feet. Normally Taj was a sky watcher, horizons, dusks, and dawns, fog over mountaintops, but not today. He folded his arms around his chest, warding the chill away in a protective embrace, toeing at the ground. But never once, did his eyes leave Casper. He pushed his glasses up on top of his head and wiped underneath his eyes tears that weren't actually there, but threatening to spill. And these weren't from being scared, they were from being cared for. He identified with that feeling he thought Casper was feeling. The need to protect something/someone that somehow you knew you didn't really have the ability to do so. It was a helpless feeling. But, as Taj put his glasses back down he straightened up, bracing himself... waiting for the change. He was determined to be strong for this one.
Casper: Casper sat there and watched Taj for as long as he could spare the moment, but the minute ticked by and he knew he had to move, it was either that or let himself destroy yet another pair of pants, he was down to his last pair of jeans after all. Without taking his eyes off of the other the young werewolf rose to his feet, quickly kicking off his sneakers, his socks and then wriggled his way out of both his jeans and his briefs, kicking them aside but not before gently tossing the jacket he’d removed moments before in Taj’s direction hoping it would keep the other remotely warm. “...You don’t have to look...” He murmured, the words sounding distant and strange on his own tongue, they formed and escaped past his lips even as his mind began to struggle to understand what they meant. “...If you don’t want to...d-don’t be scared to fly away if you hav-“
He never got the chance to finish, the moment the first slithers of the silver moon found their way above the horizon Casper’s entire body went rigid and he stopped breathing. There was a brief moment where neither him nor his wolf existed, the lights were on but nobody was home, he was an empty shell of nothing but moonlight but it didn’t last for long, the moon had taken over him but quickly enough she dipped her icy hands inside of him and pulled out the curse he’d been born with. It started in his chest and the pain dropped Casper to his knees, his eyes clenched shut so tight he was starting to see the blood vessels pulsing behind dark eyelids. There was nothing but pain as his body changed, bones muscles and tendons all snapping, breaking and dislocating before piecing themselves back together again in a new form, his own screaming completely unheard as his racing heart thudded so fast inside of his chest that if he’d been anything but what he was he would have already died of heart failure. He hadn’t wanted to change in front of Taj and that was probably why it took so long, why it hurt so much as he subconsciously tried to fight it, there was no point though, it was no use, it never was and it was only after Casper had disappeared completely did the screaming stop and give way to a long and loud howl of the arctic wolf, his neck arched, furry face turned up toward the moon he loved, tail and ears twitching slightly with the lingering tingles of pain.
Taj: Taj only cast a affectionate smile as Casper kept talking. He wasn't going to look away. He would keep to his promise though. He hadn't forgotten. There was a strange balance inside Taj as he watched the moon grip his lover and tear his body apart right before his eyes. A strange pull to watch for informational sake and something in him that was as distant as Casper watching him in pain as if it didn't matter. It was just the way things were and it had to be dealt with, steadfast, dutiful to nature's balance, seeing Casper and the wolf as one and the same and knowing the pain just had to be to make the change. No getting around it, so why fret it? It would soon be gone. That was the bits of sphinx standing strong. But, there was the avian side, his eagle that watched horrified. It was strange the melting pot of pieces that made up the whole being of Taj Bahar. Everyone wanted freedom but his eagle was encompassed and was meant to be soaring free. This was what made Taj's probation/work situation that much harder, keeping him grounded. But, it was the eagle's spirit that saw Casper as a prisoner - separate from the wolf - jailed by the moon, and shackled to the pain of change in the night. It just wasn't fair. Then there was Taj's humanity and it was that which stood back, silent tears finally rivered down his cheeks as he watched his lover have to go through so very much pain.
It was gut wrenching to watch. His own body twitching and grinding teeth as it all unfolded. No one wanted to see a loved one in pain and to idly stand back with literally nothing to do to help, but just wait it out was slightly traumatizing to say the least. But, then out came the wolf. All anew. Fully formed. Pain subsiding. Relief washed through Taj just knowing the physical pain to be over. The question left was what pain would caused in the night? He couldn't tap into it. He tried. He wanted to know, but he just couldn't reach that future in his mind. It was when he really wanted to know something that he felt the weakest, like he was just no good, and had failed in living up to what he thought being an oracle meant. The eagle on the other hand was perking up, his stance more confident as the wolf appeared. He could run now. He could run and be free to do anything, come what may. And that was exciting. Taj started to smile at the white wolf so familiar to him now. He thought Casper was gorgeous in both forms and he wasn't sure he saw this wolf as being anyone other than Casper. "Better? You ok now?" He asked crouching down like someone approaching to greet a dog on their level, no show of dominance by looming above, extending a hand. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but to him it was still Casper.
Casper: The wolf dug his claws deep into the earth beneath him when his howl came to an end and he suddenly became aware of the fact that he was not alone, the very human sounding words ripping a snarl from his throat as his body twisted, darting round to face the body that had created the voice, the only thoughts running through his mind simple and easy enough to understand. Kill the voice. Kill the human. It was precisely what he was prepared to do too, he turned around, his body poised, ready to launch his mass directly at the human, muzzle scrunched up to expose his deadly sharp teeth. He stopped abruptly though, his snarl cutting off before it had even really begun, his body relaxing almost immediately the moment he caught the familiar scent in the gentle breeze. BirdCat. His BirdCat. Mine. The defence in the wolf’s posture dropped away immediately, almost as quickly as he dropped his body to the ground, soft belly pressing against the grass and dirt as he stared up at his mate, his front right paw lifting up off of the ground to playfully come down over his own muzzle, partly obscuring his eyes before he moved again, rolling around in the dirt beneath him, making a delightful little mess of his winter snow coat before finishing on his back, staring up at Taj from upside-down, that long pink tongue flapping out the side of strong jaws.
Taj: Taj caught the teeth glinting just before the wolf took a new posture. His grin started to grow as the newly formed snowy canine muddled up to him against the dark ground. It was cute to him how the new mannerisms began to expose themselves. He even started to giggle when he started to wriggle around belly up like that. It was probably putting Taj far too much at ease and comfortable in a very dangerous situation. But, he was relaxing greatly and quick. He wanted to play with him. He wanted to play with a wild animal like a housepet and somewhere in him he knew Casper was anything but and even knew this was no normal wild animal either. But still he reached down to rub his belly and if Casper let him a good scratch behind the ears. Depending on how far Casper would let this go, Taj would try to keep playing, petting. The feline in him would even want to groom him, try to lick his muzzle, and over coat. Taj laid down on his belly in the dirt as he tried to do these things wanting to snuggle his face in that snowy fur for a good nuzzle. But all that depended on the first touch. Would Casper let Taj touch, or play, or snuggle up like part of the pack?
Casper: They weren’t pack; they were something more than that, something stronger. A wolf could abandon his pack, could run away from his pack, but a wolf couldn’t stand even the mere thought of parting from his mate. No, the wolf wasn’t going anywhere and even though his eyes, the only part of him left that resembled Casper in any way tracked every single one of Taj’s movements he stayed there, belly up and exposed in the air, it was a sign of truce, of surrender, of vulnerability at least to the wolf and it hadn’t even occurred to his canine brain that the BirdCat might not understand that. He lay there, keeping his body perfectly still as that hand reached toward his belly even when everything within him wanting to spring back to his paws and run around in circles. Eventually he started whining, a soft keening sound that seemed to stretch out forever before he rolled himself back over with a soft snort of breath, crawling on his belly toward the other, going right up and pressing that warm, wet nose right against those glasses, curiosity and confusion in his eyes as the little wolf practically went cross-eyed watching the glass fog up with his heavy breaths.
Taj: Taj didn't understand completely. He'd read about certain canine behaviors. He didn't own a dog. And he had no experience with such things at all. This wasnt knowledge inherent somehow inside his sphinx either. But, he knew enough to see Casper wasn't posing him a threat any lingering fears had slipped far away, poofed out and went sailing on the wind and gone. He was learning. He also felt it, not just a mind's thought of safety here, but he feeling and he trusted it in that moment, whether he should have or not, he followed his gut and scruffled up the fur on Casper's neck with a laugh. "I'm okay, I'm okay." He reasurred even if Casper couldn't understand him. Maybe he didn't need the words but hopefully the wolf could detect the tone of his voice for intent and that was all that would matter. Taj licked the canine's nose causing all the fog. Taj pulled his glasses off when they fogged up sticking them in the lining of his jacket pocket before drawing in a following his own instincts again. And boy would this look strange to an outsider looking in as Taj got to all fours, on his hands and knees, and licked his face several times, right over muzzle and in his ears, before tilting his head in only to push against his neck, rubbing his body up against him like a cat. It might have seemed strange in the guise/form Taj was holding, human, but really... he just wasn't.
Casper: There was nothing at all strange about the other’s actions, at least not to the wolf, he loved it, it had his tail up and wagging, his own long, slobbery tongue coming straight up to return the favour, licking over his BirdCat’s face and neck, even his hair, making a sound like a yip in the back of his throat when the dark mass of hair stuck up at a funny angle in response, making him cock that furry head to the side curiosity making him do it again just to see if it would all stick up eventually. He was hungry, there was no doubt about that, everything inside of him yearned for the hunt, for the kill, for the taste of human flesh but there was plenty of night left for that and for now he was perfectly content to stay there and play and explore his mate, his nose pressing right into the other’s ear, knowing no such thing as personal space or boundaries. His ears were constantly moving, twitching slowly back and forth, ever alert to what was going on around them even as he pressed his body back against the other in response. He could have easily hurt him and even though his wolf didn’t have the mind to quite grasp that concept he was being surprisingly gentle with everything he did, the little human form just seemed so frail to him, he knew his teeth could crunch easily through human bone, he’d done it before, many times.
Taj/Ba'al: It was a playful moment and loving moment and hair on Taj's hair stood glued with wolfy slobber. Taj was never so good with boundaries anyway. Maybe it was the animal in him? Who knew? Taj was the one that crossed them (according to humans that was) a world Taj never did feel like he belonged to. And he didn't really. He didn't. There were many different variant species of sphinx but his family line had never integrated themselves like this. They didn't buy houses or groceries, or have job and Sunday socials. It just wasn't done. They lived beyond all that in another realm of code despite the ability to mask themselves to human form. Taj was the first in his line and no one taught him anything, raised human knowing no different. But that was the plan wasn't it? His family's hope to train him up in a different way. But did they know it would take him so long to catch on to his own? Who knew that either? Taj didn't even know this much of his history. But, what he did know was the here and now and suddenly everything just felt right, like he really was closer to "normal" than he'd ever felt out there in the woods with no ties to the city and running more on instinct alone. It felt more natural to him than anything he'd been allowed to experience before and it was good. He was in a good place. Casper didn't hurt him, even if his rubbing back was a little stronger than anticipated.
Taj chummed up to understanding what to expect and kept it going. In all their play Taj ended up on his back after slinking the whole side of the frame of his body against the wolf, he curled up and batted his tattooed hands at the wolf, like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. Some beetles were parading the area one buzzed near Taj's ear and suddenly he flipped and pounced it, no thought, just an instant reaction. Then another landed on his face and he smacked it away. He started to look around on all fours again seeing just how many beetles he'd rolled his back into. They were there by the dozens. What Casper nor Taj knew was there was someone else in that museum. Someone hidden in a realm outside the human eye who'd also taken an interest in the sphinx's strange manners, his pull, his instinct to Persian artifacts, someone he knew without a doubt he was no human and he was rare among population of the city and accompanied by a werewolf at that! How intringuing. The pair had been followed back to the lake. The pair had sparked the curiosity of none other than The Lord of the Flies, the Philistine King of Accaron, the devil's right hand, the second greatest power in all of Hell and he was sitting idly by in a treetop high above the scene in the form of an egyptian scarab beetle blending in with the rest of the woods. It was his beetles toying with Taj. The Egyptians used sphinxes too. Maybe this was something worth controling? Even moreso, the werewolf, that's one that would do his bidding whether he liked it or not. In Ba'al's mind the wolf was practically his already being created by demon-kind. He wasn't sure he liked how this pair was getting along so well, keeping the wolf distracted from spoiling the night as meant for him to do.
Casper/Ba'al: Casper’s wolf was so distracted by Taj he hadn’t even noticed anything was wrong, anything was happening around him and he’d never come into contact with a demon before, at least not while he had four paws so he hadn’t noticed the presence of another, the scent of a beetle of course wasn’t anything strange or new that would draw his attention in the woods by a lake, there were always bugs and each one had their own scents, even when Taj pounced at one he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, his body hunching down to play with him and the beetle, tail wagging back and forth, tongue lopping out the side of his mouth ready to play. At least that was until he noticed the beetles all of the them and in under a second his entire manner changed. His tail stood still and still, the very tip squishing back and forth in preparation of attack, the fur between his shoulder blades sticking straight up, puffing out and making himself look bigger than he actually was, that thirst, that need to kill was back and the flame was burning bright but first things first. He didn’t think about being gentle, running entirely on instinct he lunged, his body knocking Taj back away from the beetles with a vicious snarl, eyes fixed on the bugs as he backed up, forcing his BirdCat further away from them, putting himself between them. Beetles didn’t act like that. In all his life he’d never seen beetles act like that. He continued backing up, teeth bared, vicious after vicious snarls and growls rumbling out from his chest, his paws coming to a standstill only once Taj bumped into the tent.
It was then that the wolf fell silent, his ears twitching back and forth, nose lifting toward the night breeze, tensing, sniffing, listening, tasting. Something was there, something that made his hackles stand even more on end, something that had those sharp azure blue eyes fixed on a tree. He couldn’t see what was up there but he could smell it, instinct told him it was there and he’d never smelled a beetle like that before. Growling long and low he inched his way forward, back toward the beetles on the ground without once taking his eyes off of that tree, every movement so and deliberate, ears twitching, head moving slightly, mentally making a map of his surrounding and making sure that Taj wasn’t going anywhere, no one was touching his BirdCat, no one.
He stopped, right in front of the mass of beetles that seemed to have suddenly appeared and with his eyes on the tree, still fighting hard to try and see what was up there he raised his front right paw and froze there for a moment before his head titled slightly, one eye on the tree, on eye on the beetles and he waited, body poised and ready for an expected attack. He could play this came. If things liked to hide, the best thing to do for a meal was lure them out. A hunt was a hunt, no matter what form it presented itself in, he knew this, Casper knew this and when nothing happened, when the thing didn’t come down from his tree, the wolf struck, paws pouncing and slamming down, crushing the beetles, jaws snapping them up to pieces.
Taj/Ba'al: Taj didn't see that one coming crashing back with a thud and an oomphf when he was knocked back into the tent. He was wincing and holding the side of his hip where he'd landed too hard. Sudden heaving breaths were panting from his chest as he tried to make sense of it, trying to gain some footing but his hip hurt so much he stayed sitting down for the time being and looked around. He didn't know it but it was fractured ever so small, ever so slight, but a bad area for even a sliver of a hairline break. His hands didn't look so hot either, after catching his own fall and being scraped up be twigs and brush on both his palms. He watched Casper getting his hackles up over some bugs and thought Jesus Christ he really needed stay on better gaurd of himself. Who knew the wolf needed to protect him from local insects too? If that was the case staying in the forests might be better thought out next time. Taj was still clueless anything more was going on until he kept looking up into that tree. Then something put Taj on high alert too. He couldn't put his finger on it. The demon however was up there laughing silently to himself as the whole scene unfolded. That was untill Casper went on the attack of his beetles at mass.
He sent his insects on kamaze missions, for that there was no doubt, but he still didn't take kindly to what Casper decided to do. Talk about hackles being up? If Ba'al had hackles his would be like spines and within seconds the place was buzzing so loud with locusts (which were not the norm for this time of year) that it was nearly deafening to a human ear, much less anything more sensitive and Taj's skinned up hands shot for both of his own ears, smearing blood across his cheeks as he held tight, hunching his body, trying like mad to shield himself from the noise drumming insane vibrations through his head. The area was tornadoed with swirling black clouds making it hard to see through. The whole scene turned chaos, wind rushing in too making the whole thing worse all commanded by Ba'al's will. He wasn't hiding anymore either. The little white wolf had pissed him off wasting time protecting sphinxes and snuffing beetles when he should be out bringing death to the unexpected masses. Ba'al didn't climb down. He just appeared in the middle, between Taj and Casper and oddly and eerily no bugs touched him while they whirled and smacked and slammed into everything else, trees, rocks, Casper, and Taj. He stood in human form but with eyes metallic like the wing of a scarab and a wicked mouth taught and thin and threatening, evil, yet somehow emotionless.
Casper/Ba'al: He’d hit a nerve, the wolf knew that but still having absolutely no idea what it was he was up against when the buzzing started he paused, took a step back, little beetle body parts falling from his mouth as he looked around, ears perked up tall on top of his head, turning around in a quick circle as the sound grew louder and louder to the point that he was whining, it was enough to drive the little wolf into a frenzy, his body pouncing up in the air, snapping at whatever locusts he could reach but they just kept coming. He snarled, turning in a blind circle, there were bugs in his ears, in his eyes and trying to get up his nose but he shook them off, again and again with such a ferociousness only a werewolf would possess. Giving up was not an option and he knew that, even as he tried in vain to get the bugs off his body, killing as many as he could he made his way back in the direction of Taj, he had to get back to his BirdCat, he had to get the bugs away from his BirdCat, it was somewhat irrational but there was no question in the wolf’s mind about what he was doing. The wind kept knocking him off course but he dug his claws into the earth and pressed all his weight upon his paws and made his way through it.
He almost ran into the demon that was suddenly in front of him, where he had come from or why he’d suddenly decided to leave the safety of his tree the little arctic wolf didn’t care, it wasn’t what he was thinking about, the only thing that mattered at that moment was the fact that this thing was between him and his mate, nothing, nothing got between him and his mate. He didn’t think, didn’t hesitate, didn’t give any indication as to what he was about to do and when the wolf jump it looked as though he was about to try and rid himself of some more of the bugs that were quickly driving him to insanity, that wasn’t however what he did. He jumped, he jumped with every ounce of strength the demonic curse gave him, twisted his body mid air and even as his claws snagged at the demons face and chest his teeth, those deadly sharp teeth with the ability of spreading a curse sank deep into the creature’s shoulder, grabbing a mouthful and ripping. The jerk of his head not only tore the creature’s shoulder but shifted their position, leaving the wolf back where he needed to be, between Taj and the demon, and that had been the plan all along.
Taj/Ba'al/Zadok/Casper Ba'al spun with a snarl as the flesh from the side of his face was ripped off by the momentum of the springing wolf unable to stop the attack.
This was Belial's fault. Him and his infernal creations! Why wasn't he smart enough to make sure they knew to kneel to their masters?! Ba'al would just have to teach him better.
His olive hands shot right up to the wound, holding hard against both sides of his face, eyes growing, mouth widening, and out fell a scream so voluminous and loud it was heard above the insects, turbulent, babbling what seemed like nonsense, like tongues, violently shaking, fiercely, looking like a maniac, a madman in the throws of insanity, as he crushed in the atmospheric pressure until the rest of the meat that was his human form exploded. Fat and flesh, skin and blood burst off the demon like a bomb raining them in wet slimey cadaver mort. From the explosion's source stood Ba'al in a humanoid stance on two legs but much larger scarab with gargoyle-esque, hard as stone, muscular appearance, and opposable clawed digits, ten feet tall. The sheen and texture of the outer shell green metallic, with powerful wings which were held high making a new buzzing hum similar to a helicopter but louder.
As this was taking place Taj was busy trying to keep his head buried from the noise covering up but the locusts were too many. He had to let go and was starting to all out freak out wriggling all over the ground, rolling, swatting the air at random trying to clear the air to no avail. He was having a hard enough time breathing as it were trying to catch breath without insect interference. But, when the atmospheric pressure was being controlled and contracted his lungs were barely handling it. It was threatening his bodily limits to such extent even coughing was unavailable to his system. He was gasping and swatting and rolling about. He'd told Casper he would fly if anything bad happened, but this wasn't even Casper and everything was happening so fast he could hardly compose a proper thought to form a plan, not to mention the raining carcass bits. Casper's lungs, as a werewolf would be affected. He would feel the struggle, but it would not be enough against the strength of the lycanthropy in his veins to stop him from breathing, maybe mildly labored.
As the fully formed demon showed face he made one last call out to the wilds and this was a call that would be heard by too many mortals, making any good Samaritan or curious kind within a 2 mile radius of the lake come investigating. Which would be all the more fun for what the call was really for. Zadok, a demonic creature made by Satan's own hands, that would listen to Ba'al's commands. And this call could also be heard through to the depths of Hell if that's where he was. Ba'al turned up a wicked smirk. "Time to learn a lesson puppy" and he started to take powerful strides towards the werewolf/sphinx pair.
Casper/Taj/Ba'al He landed hard but shook it off, it was the scream that followed though which nearly had the wolf’s four legs buckling, it was so loud, it hurt his head and he didn’t understand it, he didn’t understand much of what was happening at that point, he was running on instinct, nothing more nothing less and that instinct demanded that he get his mate out of harm’s way and fast. It was the flying debris of flesh and body parts that snapped him out of whatever it had been about that scream which had held him in place, frozen to the spot. The smell, the sight of the bloody flesh made him hungry, so very, very hungry, there would be time for that later though and as much as his body demanded to run straight back to the creature revealing his new form and tear him apart piece by little piece he didn’t, he barely spared him a glance. Something was coming. He didn’t know how he knew but he could feel it, right down in his very core, they needed to get out they needed to go. Go. Go. Go. Fly. The second sound made him whine and growl along with a serious of other jumbled sounds that were lost in the ringing of his ears but he moved, he backed right up, shaking his head in an attempt to try and clear the ringing from his ears, his breaths laboured and heavy as though there wasn’t enough oxygen anymore and he didn’t know why but he ignored it and he didn’t stop until his hind leg made contact with Taj’s form.
Taj was struggling, the wolf didn’t understand what was wrong but that didn’t matter, he growled, sharp teeth snapping at the fabric of the other’s jacket, using it to lift him up enough that he was sitting before he manoeuvred his large body, being far from gentle as he tried to help him up. Never in all his life had the wolf wanted to be trapped in the body of a human, until that moment, he tried his best though to make his BirdCat understand. His cold, wet nose nudged his face as he whined, waiting until he had his attention before forcing the other over to all fours, his panting becoming heavier and heavier as he tried to push Taj away toward the trees, looking at the BirdCat and then looking at the sky, his eyes pleading, full of instructions he just didn’t know how to communicate. The BirdCat had wings, things with wings could fly so high that not even he could reach him up there in the sky.
Against all previous instinct that had before ruled and lead Casper through his life and kept him safe and strong, the wolf had turned his back on the enemy to help his mate. He had to get him safe. He needed to leave now and he wasn’t giving him a choice as he bared his teeth at his Taj, if he didn’t go he would bite him, he would make him go, before it was too late