They were doing well. Hell, Quinn even thought it was starting to get too easy. Which of course meant that the general hadn't shown yet to lead his army. Which both he and his demon found interesting.

"That's not the only interesting thing Qball. You've been letting yourself get bitten a couple of times now." the demon paused for a moment, then continued "Not that it's something I can't handle, but the viruses are...mutating. The various bites you've gotten from all the different weres are merging. Apparently they're trying to adapt. To overcome my defenses."

As he listened to the demon, movement off to the side caught his eye. He'd been trying to keep Deanna in his line of sight for the most part and when she suddenly wasn't there he began to panic. What his demon had told him was momentarily forgotten. He spun in place looking around for his mate. The last place he'd seen her was near the Gorge. She must have fallen.

He kicked the nearest Were away from him and jogged to the edge. He caught a glance of her just before she disappeared behind the back of a large were. Before he could jump down and help her though the foe he'd kicked before was on his back. Claws digging into his chest and teeth biting down into his neck, Quinn gave out a cry of pain.

The halfbreed hadn't been allowing the weres to bite him on purpose. He was just being a bit sloppy. Like he'd thought it was being too easy and he'd ignored most of the pain. Now though he needed to finish this beasty off to help his love. As he fought this slippery bastard on his back, he noticed Verial and Kyrian leap over the edge to help Deanna. He was relieved for a minute. Then he started fighting in earnest again, taking things much more serious.

Lightening struck his back, and finally the beast released it's grips on him. Spinning around, he brought his sword down and hacked the were's head in half. Spitting on it's corpse, he turned and ran to the edge, copying Verial. He was halfway into the jump before he looked down and realized it was a much farther fall then he'd thought.

"Alright Quinny, you and I need to have serious conversation now. It seems you've put yourself into a very awkward situation. And of course by awkward I mean, deadly. If you don't let me have complete control, you're going to die when you land. Of it won't be instant. Both of your legs will be broken, probably your back, and IF Deanna is still alive down there she'll get to watch you bleed out while the weres down there eat your guts in front of her. However, if you give me control, we'll survive. I'll make sure Deanna lives. And most important, lives very happily, with us. Me in control, you living in my head."

This whole monologue took just a few seconds in his head. It didn't take place in real time, so he had a few extra seconds to think it over. The ground rushed forward and he realized it was the only choice he had if he wanted to keep Deanna alive. "I accept." he said softly.

Below him things had happened that he'd been unaware of. The General had finally made his appearance and so had another. This one of his bloodline. Kyrian had been tossed on top of Deanna and was trying to get his feet back under him. For all the young boy knew, he was the only thing standing between his father and death.

The earth shook when he landed. Dust and dirt flew into the air, covering his form completely. It was amazing. The power he'd been denying himself was incredible. The only problem now was that he wasn't actually the one using it. He was just aware of it. Quinn was now just the passenger in a very wild ride.

As the dirt cleared he looked around and saw what was going on. Kyrian next to Deanna, Verial laying a bit away not moving. "Kid, take care of Deanna. Then go look in on your father. I'll cover you until then." he looked down at Deanna and winked at her. She'd notice that his eyes were now completely yellow. She would be able to tell that he'd given the demon complete control. They'd found the thing that would make him give himself over to the demon. He'd have done anything to save Deanna's life and he had.

He took a step towards the two new pieces on the board. He could hear Kyrian working behind him. Things were going to be different from now on. Things were going to be the way he wanted them to be. Things were. Black. Everything went black. He couldn't see. Couldn't feel. Nothing. When the lights came back on Quinn was in control again. He could feel. See. Hear. Taste. Everything.

Then he fell. He could feel everything. His legs were broken, every bite, cut, scratch, he felt them all. He coughed and as he did blood came spewing from his mouth. "Demon, I let you out. What happened?" Silence. He reaching inside to pull on the demon's strength. There was nothing there. The demon was gone. It was just him inside. He was human. Fully human. And now he was about to die.

"Well, maybe not. You see Quinn, without the demon stopping me, I've been able to infect your body. Damn if that demon wasn't a strong bastard." Quinn looked up to see a large, werewolf standing in front of him. He looked back over towards Deanna and Kyrian panicked. "Don't worry. They can't even see me. As a matter of fact this is another conversation you're having in your head. You seem to be having a lot of those lately."

The werewolf stooped down and looked him in the face. "You're going to have to get up. You made a promise to Deanna before and Kyrian just now. You need to get up and hold Elijah and the other Redmont at bay so that Kyrian can heal De and his father. We'll talk again once everything is done here."

Quinn blinked and the wolf was gone. And so was the pain. Slowly he got to his feet, and turned to face the large were he now knew as Elijah and the other one that he could smell was a Redmont as well. That was new. He could smell the bloodline on her. Now that he was focusing on it he could smell the same blood running through Elijah's body that was in Deanna's.

To make things even more odd he could detect hints of both bloodlines now flowing through him. This raised more questions that he would need answered but for now he needed to focus on protecting his friends and family. He wasn't sure what he'd be able to do against the Bluefield however he'd hoped it'd be enough to give Kyrian time.

"This a private party or can i join?" He asked as he finally got closer to the battling duo.

She had been drifting in and out of consciousness, enveloped in the snow and ice’s frigid embrace. Death lingered close, and at times Deanna was sure she could see the darkened shadow hovering near by waiting to claim her. It was the acrid stench of burning flesh that brought her into awareness once more. The smell of fire and charred corpses flooded her nostrils and lay bitter on her tongue. It was then that Deanna finally realized she could actually breath through her broken nose.

Gingerly, she reached upward toward her face, a painstaking move all in its own. Her numb fingers brushed against her nose covered in drying blood. After a few light probes, she concluded that at least one of her wounds had healed, though by touch alone it would seem it had healed slightly crooked. Perfect.

The rest of her form seemed numb to her as she lay sprawled amongst blood sodden snow. As she concentrated on slow even breaths, Deanna silently took inventory of the damage done to her person. She tried to move her injured leg, but the moment she had taken action, her torn calf screamed in agony and protest. She herself would have vocalized her pain, but her throat was tight and dry and she could do no more than whimper.

It took much effort, but the shifter turned her head so that she could survey the damage done to the left side of her body. The blood that had drenched her before, continued to flow sluggishly out of the vicious wound received by the were. Part of her neck was torn open, along with most of her shoulder. Her shoulder and collar bones were crushed beneath the torn fabric of her shirt. Surprisingly, she felt no pain.

Heavy lidded orbs raised heavenward to the sky, colored dark grey from both weather and smoke. Snow continued to drift downward, their fat flakes landing upon her face. Where was Verial and Kyrian? Had the boy forgotten about her? What of Quinn, her mate? Have you fallen, love? Have they all fallen? She knew there was a possibility they would lose this battle, but hoped against hope for their victory. I’m going to die here in this shit hole of snow and corpses, and no one will know I am even down here. The bitter thought was hard to swallow.

It dawned upon Deanna that her beast was silent, and closing her eyes, she reached deep down to find her. In her mind’s eye, she could see her bestial form, silently padding back and forth. Her eyes were limpid pools of amber, and for once they appeared sad. Deanna reached out to her beast, one hand pressed lightly against rough spotted fur the colors of sand and copper. ‘We are going to die, aren’t we?’ Her beast lay her head against her human counterpart’s hand, her voice soft when she finally spoke. ‘I’ve done all I can to keep us alive. Had you been an ordinary human woman, we would not be having this conversation right now for you would have choked to death on your own blood. I am sorry human, but we are not healing like we should. Take comfort though, it shouldn’t be much longer.’ Her beast sighed then, turning away as she padded back to the recesses of Deanna’s mind.

From the corner of her eye, she could sense movement, a blurred figure that rushed toward her, snow flew as the drow Verial knelt beside her. Ah, Verial. My brother. You did not abandon me. Cracked bloodstained lips curved into a weak smile. Vaguely she could feel the hybrid trying to staunch the flow of blood that poured from her neck and shoulder. Her eyes were mere slits even as he appeared to beckon Kyrian over to aid him, and she had closed her eyes briefly only to open them to find Verial gone. What had happened? Only the boy remained, just as confused as she.

Deanna heard the sound of another speaking, a deadly sinister tone that sent shivers down her spine, or would have if she could still feel. Something’s wrong. The boy is in danger! Despite great waves of pain that traveled through her, the shifter managed to lift her head and finally part of her torso, leaning heavily down upon her uninjured arm. What she saw stole breath from her body.

He was, without doubt, the most deadly, foul creature she had ever laid eyes upon, and he was advancing upon the young dragon boy, Kyrian. It’s him, a voice whispered to her. It is from he, that we exist. He’s the one. The Bluefield. Elijah.

When she saw Elijah wrap his great clawed hands around Kyrian’s throat, she tried to cry out to the boy, to the werewolf who was her great sire, her lord. “Don’t!” her voice cracked and she swallowed hard in a feeble attempt to try once more, but her strength ebbed away, and Deanna fell back against the packed snow in exhaustion as Kyrian was flung down mercilessly upon her, forcing another new pain to shoot through her body. Verial was gone, somehow, and Kyrian was dying before her eyes. Somehow tears managed to fill her eyes, and Deanna felt them slide slowly down her face, tears of frustration for she knew she couldn’t save the boy.

Deanna weakly attempted to shove Elijah from Kyrian even has the Bluefield Lord began to close those powerful clawed hands around the boy’s throat, but it was like swatting a boulder. Elijah toyed with Kyrian, and she could hear the boy’s heart beat frantically as he struggled to breathe. She turned her head sharply away when Elijah knelt down to lap at the bloody hole from whence her life’s blood seeped from. “Bastard,” she spat at him. Once again she prayed fervently to the gods to spare Kyrian’s life as she tried to shield the boy as Elijah was to begin his feast, when what seemed to be fire lit up the sky, flooding the Gorge with radiant light and heat. In a flash, Elijah was gone, and Deanna cradled the boy as best as she could against him, while his frail chest began heaving in great gulps of air. “Thank you,” she murmured. The gods heard her plea.

“Breathe boy,” she said in a raspy voice. "Take it easy. He's gone now." She could hear the sound of a woman’s voice mingling with that of Elijah Bluefield’s, and could only assume that this woman was serving as a distraction for the Bluefield Beast Lord. In any case, Deanna’s bloodied fingers threaded through Kyrian’s hair in an attempt to soothe him. “Please Kyrian, I need you. Your father needs you. Please find a way.” Her lungs felt as they would burst as she forced what she prayed were the right motivational words Kyrian would need to recover, while the strange woman and the Bluefield battled between themselves in the Gorge.

Suddenly she felt the ground shift beneath her, and with a groan, held onto Kyrian tightly. “Gods, what now?” Would the snow packed earth open up and swallow both shifter and boy? She closed her eyes for a moment, deciding to give herself up to her fate, when a strange prickling sensation began on her skin. A great warmth spread through her body, and Deanna’s eyes flew open amber eyes fastened on the form of her mate. “Quinn,” she said softly. Her heart soared, and she thought that perhaps there was hope after all now that her mate had arrived.

Quinn spoke briefly to Kyrian, and when he turned to regard her warmly, she saw upon closer inspection, a change in her mate. His demeanor seemed quite different, a sudden strength and iron will that surrounded him. He even felt different to her, and it would become clear to Deanna that her beloved Quinn had, for lack of better words, turned to darker powers. His demon. Even if she couldn’t detect it in his body movement, the energy that surrounded him, there was no mistaking his eyes. Deanna swore softly as her mate left to join in the battle beyond. “Why?” She closed her eyes once more, her heart heavy with sorrow. She need not ask why, for she already knew the answer. Her mate had given into his demonic host to save them, to save her.

Whatever was happening in the Gorge could wait. Kyrian was recovering slowly and even managed to sit up. The boy would have to grow up quickly to live in their world. A pity. “Kyrian,” A shudder ran through her then, and Deanna found herself struggling to formulate thoughts and words. “Please hurry.” She knew Kyrian was tired and hurting, but if the dragon boy didn’t act quickly to heal, Deanna wasn’t sure if she would stick around long enough to help her friends and this woman battle Elijah. Oh, and Quinn…mustn’t forget her mate. She planned on kicking the ever loving shit of him once she regained her strength. The thought caused a smile to pass over her lips even as her eyes rolled in their sockets, and her eyelids shut.