Mazikeen spits out the flesh she tears from Gale’s shoulder, her stomach churning at the taste of it in her mouth, and she’s glad to see the wound heal so quickly (even if that does not bode well for her). The leopard frees itself and Mazikeen stands there, bleeding and fuming but not minding the short break.
She is just about to inform the Curse that she’s not surprised it could do this all day when it doesn’t seem to be trying very hard when she feels the sensation of her eyes being tampered with. Her lips are already curling into a snarl when she sees what he shifts into. It is easy to believe the vision magic is him pulling this image from her and not anything else, though she had not known Gale could change his equine appearance like this. Like she could.
The quiet “No.” that escapes her is completely involuntary, and she bites her tongue hard enough to make it bleed so she does not say his name. Her son. Their son. She’d suspected that Gale (or the Curse) would be able to take the image of the twins from her, she’s been focusing so hard on that first moment to keep all the other ones hidden, but it still surprises her. Still horrifies her that her own mind can be used against her this way.
And to see that beautiful son charging at her with nothing but rage in his eyes? It hurts somewhere deep where claws and teeth cannot reach. She feels a sting on her right hind leg but her mind is so focused on what’s in front of her she does not spare it another thought.
She knows this isn’t Malik just like she knew it wasn’t Gale but she shifts into an osprey to avoid him anyway and surges up - thinking to give herself a moment just to calm down, to get her head back into the fight.
But shifting into a smaller animal is possibly the worst choice she could have made. It would’ve been better to stand there as the bear but instead the venom of the spider bite she still doesn’t realize she’s been given floods her system all the faster. Sharp pain radiates through one of her hind legs, the same where she had felt the sting just a few seconds ago, and Mazikeen’s head begins to spin. She had never bothered to learn about insects, just as she did not care to learn about plants. When she thought of all the ways to fight, it never once occurred to her to choose something with venom. That felt like cheating.
Mazikeen lands roughly, becoming herself with her natural horns, all shifting falling away as she shakes her head. The wounds on her throat and foreleg are bleeding, though not enough for any real concern - not when her vision begins to blur. Accusations fly around with her spinning thoughts but all she manages to get out is an angry hiss as her orange eyes attempt to focus on her opponent.
@[Gale]