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Bez is no fool. He has seen this kind of fight before and knows better than get involved. If he did, he'd only distract the mage who seemed to have the upper hand, but only barely. So he continues to kneel by the fallen youngsters, protecting them in his wings, keeping them from harm.

Suddenly a bubble springs up around them. Translucent, slightly distorting the edges of what they can see beyond it, it shelters them from harm, but does little to drown out the screams of the two combatants. Nor does it hide it from view.

"Sorry, I'm not the best anymore with instantaneous responses, especially when I just wake up. Been penned up down here a bit too long, I guess." Comes a familiar musical voice from behind them. "Is everyone alright?"

"Thanks, dulcha..." says Bez without turning around or taking his eyes off the fight going on outside the safety of Ai's shield for more than a few seconds. But he can tell by taking a look at the girls' faces that Ai had dropped his disguises as well. Their eyes are as large as saucers and more than a tad bit frightened. Funny how a large white gryphon with a nasty sharp beak tend to alarm people. But then they had a lot to be afraid of right then. With the demon appearing out of nowhere, Em snatching them up without a single word of explanation, and Kero transforming into something out of the realm of nightmares, their parents appearances had to be setting their minds into overdrive.

Surprisingly, Ari merely takes it all in stride, though Mara is so shaken all she can do is crawl out from under Em's wing and huddle by his leg, shaking like a leaf.

"Em's hurt, Mama. That thing took one swipe at him and down he went." moans Ari, her arms wrapped around the dragon's neck.

"Let me look at him..." says Ai gently, giving Mara a funny look. "Ye OK, Kitten?" he asks as he begins to examine the fallen dragon.

Mara nods against Bez's knee, her eyes never leaving the fight outside. "Wha.... what is that thing?" she demands through chattering teeth.

"Which thing?" deadpans Bez quietly. Then he chuckles sourly, angrily. "One's your brother... the other a demon... someone sent a hunter on us from the looks of it. Damn...."

"Don't worry about Kero. He'll eat that thing for breakfast..." teases Ai, but his voice says something entirely different. He too is frightened, worried that another might show. Against one, Kero was sure to win, against two his chances were decidedly slimmer.

A moan from Em quickly snares everyone's attention, though Bez's eyes never leave the fight. "How quickly can you drop this thing and put it back up?" He asks his mate, giving Mara a distracted hug then nudging her gently away.

"Don't get in his way..." warns Ai.

"I'm not. You watch the kids... Make sure Emnast is ok. I want to do a reconnaissance to make sure there's not more of those things out there. Someone opened a rift to get it here. Had to. I don't sense any, but I didn't feel the rift either. Something blocked me out."

Bez drops like a bolt from the sky onto the one immediately behind the wraith-mage, removing it's head and that threat with his sword . But the hunters are onto him now and he has lost the element of surprise. Pulling back sightly, the demons ease off on their offensive, giving Kero time to catch his breath and think of a possible solution to their predicament.

"Got your back.." he calls to Kero as he takes up a defensive stance behind him.

He's not to sure how sane Kero is at that moment. He knows that the beast was either at the surface or very very close to it, driving Kerobian into a berserker like rage. Jumping into the fight like that when Kero was in that state was either very very brave or downright foolish, but he simply couldn't stand by and see him pulled down either. He owed the mage far too much for that and somehow, although he can't figure out how the "Brat", as he had taken to calling him, had wormed his way into his heart as well as into the heart of all who knew him on the island. There would be a great gaping hole in their psyches if he was to disappear from their lives altogether. And there was no way he could face his mate with the knowledge he didn't go to his aid. Ai would be devastated and he knew there was no way he could live with such a sin on his conscience.

"Mama!" screams Ari and he can hear Ai speaking softly to the girls, telling them to remain calm, but Bez refuses to take his eyes off their attackers. It had been some time since he had faced creatures like these in combat but it hadn't dulled his senses in the least. They had a chance, at least he did, Ai knew this as well as he did. It would take far more than a handful of hunters to bring him down.

But Kero was injured and he had no way of knowing how badly or what the mage would do next... or the hunters for that matter. It really depended on their orders and who sent them. If they chose to go after the mage and ignore him, he might be able to bring down one or two before the mage fell. If they went after him, then everything was alright as long as Kero got away.

As he slid into battle mode, Bez found himself hoping they would be stupid and go after him. A wicked grin eased across his face as he spat at one, in an attempt to egg them into doing just that. Created to fight, in truth to defend, he hadn't had a good workout in ages.


**Kero still has the chance to save the day, don't worry... but heck, ye really expect Bez to stay away while he has all the fun?**

Ari pokes her sister in the side and shakes her head violently. "Listen to Mama... something tells me Kerobian is going to do something nasty... really nasty. Look, here comes daddy." she demands shoving her fingers into her ears. "He is... isn't he, Mama?" she sends worriedly.

"Aw shaddup... I'll listen, I just wanted to know why..." grumbles Mara trestily.

"Then do it." orders Ai in a no nonsense voice. "And yes he is, Princess. I'd advise you not to look as well... see iffin ye can get Mara to look away, too. Let's just pray it works..."

The gryphon edges about a bit so he can shelter the three youngsters in his wings, concealing most but not all the fight from view. When Bez lands beside the bubble, sword ready, suddenly alert as he has hears the roars of the second wave of hunters, Ai asks if he wants inside the shield.

Bez slowly shakes his head no, looking back at Kerobian, concern plastered all over his face, then suddenly he drops his sword and claps his hands over his ears.

"Cover you ears now!" shouts Ai, shoving his paws over Emnast's in an attempt to shelter him. He knows he's left exposed, but there is nothing he can do about it. He just prays he can shelter the children from what was to come.

**Hmmm, protected by his unconsciousness... how does that work? Damage by sound happens whether you consciously hear it or not, right?**

Mara tugs at Ai's forearm to get his attention. "It's ok, Mama, he's not shouting anymore... Mama... Mama!" she shouts trying to get his attention.

Ari scrambles closer and helps her pull on Ai's massive forearm. Finally he looks down at them with a startled expression. He opens his mouth to speak, then falters in confusion, looking about him with a dazed expression.

"Mama... Mama..." calls the girls together, attracting Bez's attention as well.

"It's no use girls." calls Bez through the shield. "He can't hear you." says Bez with a touch of anger in his voice. He is clearly mad, but not at Kero. His anger is justly directed at the one who had attacked their small hidewaway and no one else and when he found out who that was, there would be a reconning to be paid. He looks back at Kero, feeding on the demons and finds himself torn. Should he make a sweep of the island to make certain all the hunters had been neutralized or stay by the bubble shield. Ai might need his help in taking it down.

Ai gives himself a shake, then gathers the girls close with his wings. He can't hear their cries, but he can tell by looking at their faces they are seriously concerned.

"Go..." he sends in a pain ridden mindsend. "I'm not mortally wounded, just temprarily out of commission. We're safe here. Help Kero mop up the place then come back. I'll deal... kind of have to... not much else I can do right now."

Mara stays huddled by Ai, her small arms wrapped around his massive forearm. "He's all ghosty alright, but he's no snake..." she grumbles testily, looking up at the gryphon.

Ai senses her distress and leans down to gently nibble on her hair, his eyes sad and understanding, though he doesn't say anything outloud.

Ari smiles and giving Emnast one more hug for assurance goes back to her sister's side. "Mama says not to worry, Mari. He's pretty sure he'll be hearing you in no time but until then we have to listen to what the others tell us, especially if it involves something he has to do. If you need to tell him something tell me or write it down."

She looks back at Emnast and sighs. "Mama was trying to cover your ears... and he's not hearing very good right now." she explains to the dragon who is beginning to sit up with a frown on his face.

Ari cocks her head to one side and sends Em's question to Ai. The gryphon looks down at the dragon and nods firmly in reply.

Ari laughs and shakes her head, then turns to the dragon grinning. "He says you kept waking slightly, so he wasn't sure how out you really were. If you were merely stunned and not truly unconscious, he was afraid you'd get hit with the full effect. He knew it wouldn't kill him..." With that she shudders and shakes her head once more, marvelling at the fact that they had just witness something so terrifying.

"Sheesh, Mara, I'm really glad you listen for a change."

The dark haired twin snorts through her nose. "If both Mama and Daddy say do something, I do it. I"m no fool." Suddenly she sits up, bolt straight and looks in the direction of the goat pens. "The goats!" she cries worriedly.

Ari embraces her and freezes in place as understanding dawns on her as well. If Kero's scream could kill, anything living on the island that heard it was probably dead.

Sensing their dismay, Ai lies down beside them and embraces them in his wings, giving Emnast one of the saddest looks he has ever seen.

"I'm not sure what is going through Mara's mind right now, but Ari is leaking like a sieve... Break it to them gently, Em... Prepare them... It's a morgue out there." he sends to the dragon. "The sad thing is... most were dead before Kero attacked. The second wave of hunters got to them first. And whatever you do, don't ask me to speak, I dare not. I can't judge my volume right now and my voice can do much the same at it's far reach."

"N...no.... no goats... no chickens.... no.... no nothing?" moans Mara in dismay collapsing against him sobbing her heart out. Some of those animals had been Mara's only firends outside of her twin.

Ari isn't much better off. Like her sister she is devastated, though with Shia's help from within she is able to put on a better front. But the anguish in her eyes, as she curls her arms about her sister, tells Emnast she, too, is finding it hard to believe anyone could be so heartless.

"Why?" she whispers looking up at the dragon, running a gentle hand over the dark hair of her sister.

Emnast shrugs sadly. "I... I don't have an answer for that. But there was a reason your father stayed here after you were born and kept you hidden away. Just as there was a reason I came to join you... and why Kero comes here to find peace. We all had our reasons, and it wasn't just to keep you two penned up. We weren't trying to guard the world from you... rather we were trying to keep you safe. From the moment you two were born you've each worn invisible targets on your backs. Your parents, Kero and I... all of us... have some extremely powerful enemies, enemies who would stop at nothing, do anything, and I mean anything, to hurt us and this seemed like the perfect hiding spot. Bez had worked for eons making it sit out of time and out of space, hiding it from view, making it nigh on impossible to find unless you knew where to look. You two were so young, so vunerable. I... I think it is time you become less so. Both of you need to learn how to defend yourselves."

Emnast sighs deep in his chest. "Not so sure he can, especially if it has a musical element. The big dummy thought it wiser to cover my ears than his own. And he's afraid to speak right now because he says his voice can reach your range, iffin he can't hear himself to control it."

"Mama is not a big dummy!" growls Mara angrily, glaring at him.

Ari shakes her head and tries to calm them both down. "Kero, how does Mama make his shields anyway? Should I ask him so you can help?"

Emnast shakes his head in negation, nixing the idea before Kero could answer. 'Your father said he'd help him take it down when he gets back from doing a fly over. And if there is anyone who can work with your Mama it's Bez. Their skills run hand in hand. Kero, did you happen to gleam from your snacks who sent them or what they were truly after? My take is it was some demonic entity or another... one hunter or two could be summoned and directed... but a hoard like that had to be sent. No fool in his or her right mind would put themselves so far in hock to the powers that be."