The last couple of hours had felt like she was high on hormones except those hormones were burning flames inside her and sometimes, actually voiced an opinion. It was acting up, becoming restless, and tossed her sanity from left to right. It had started when she was talking with Killian and it had felt like the Phoenix suddenly awoke and not in a good way.

Her eyes had flashed between red and blue, her behavior had been going from practical and normal, to outright bitchy and she actually had to steady herself more frequently as time passed. As if the Phoenix was going feral. Somehow she had managed to convince Killian that it was for the best if he became the leader of Scire using her current state as a very persuasive argument. After that, it had been made official and all that was on her mind was to leave.

Azura couldn't help but growl softly at herself as she stood the town's edge debating where to go. Her mind wanted to move back to Pleyvale as soon as possible and deal with Lucas but her body, or the Phoenix, was not having it.

"Damnit! What do you want! Stop trying to take over!" The words mingled with her exhales as she proceeded to make her way down the road a bit further.

It's starting

The words etched themselves into her brain. The Phoenix moved again, the flames licking at her skin from the inside, and its power overwhelmed her. Azura closed her eyes, trying to fight the flaming bird within her as it struggled to take over. It felt primal, much more than any of the other times and Azura knew it was a losing battle. She dropped to one knee, clutching her head, silently hoping nobody would pass by or see her.

"I... Can't..." She clenched her teeth as pain washed over her, making all of her muscles contract and relax over and over. "I... need Lucas!"

Fear washed over her as the Phoenix did not reply but only pushed harder. The beast, its power, it became harder to resist. The excess saliva she was producing forced her to keep swallowing. The only thought that kept running in her head is what would happen if she would allow the full power and the Phoenix to run its course. Could she handle it? Would she be able to return to herself or would it be the beginning of the end?

Azura opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out as she felt her own consciousness being pushed to the side and something darker take over.

Her body lay still in the snow, fingers digging deep in the cold icy layer beneath the snow. She licked her lips slowly before they curled into a twisted smile. Her normally blue eyes were bright red, almost flaming while the snow around her body started to melt due to her body heating up. Ragged breaths followed one after another, each a little calmer than the one before until her breathing was steady and calm. Azura pushed herself up and once upright, straightened her clothes and hair before lifting her head to the west. Away from Scire, away from Pleyvale.

Flames licked her fingertips as she licked her lips and cracked her head sideways. All the knowledge the Phoenix held flowed in her head, filling the gaps she had no idea were there. Their minds as one but her consciousness pushed to the back as the Phoenix was in control. Her feet started moving, slowly at first but each step followed faster than the previous until she broke into a run so fast it shouldn't be possible for a human.

A craving for blood filled her mind. Or was it a craving for destruction? A craving for death. Azura could no longer tell as her instincts seemed to rule her. Her own or those of the Phoenix was something she also was not sure of. Maybe a combination but then again, did it really matter? She was starting to love it. The power embraced her as a mother who had been away from her child for too long and she embraced it right back. Reveled in it and she could feel the need of the giant entity within her. It had awakened... It was coming and they needed to be there.

All sense of time blurred as the woman ran. From mountains, back to the forests, to open field where the snow had disappeared. Wings carried her as an internal compass guided her. Distance was only relative, an earthly thing that was no longer relevant.

When she finally stilled and came to a stop she found herself in a field with soft hills rolling far into the distance. Colorful flowers bloomed throughout the tall grass and not far away was a small town. The sun was not yet at it's highest point, casting long shadows from the occasional tree.

"We are here." There was no emotion in her estranged voice as spoke. It almost sounded like there two voices melted into one.

Azura hunched down and gently touched the ground closing her eyes for a moment. Her fingertips grazed through the grass on the dirt and stopped when she felt a slight tremble from deep down.

"It knows we are here." She smiled as she spoke and rose back to her feet.

The trembling increased, the ground started shaking and soon it felt like an earthquake shook the ground she was standing on. In the distance, car alarms started wailing. Azura kept her balance and stared in the direction the ground seemed to wave to. The earth groaned, almost howling in pain for minutes until it all stilled. The birds had gone quiet, the wind had died down and an unnerving silence wrapped itself around the area.

Azura squinted her eyes as she peered into the distance. Anytime now. Her hairs on her arms stood upright, every nerve and cell in her body ready for what was to come. She licked her lips again, moved her tongue past her teeth, and playing with the elongated canines. A feeling which was new to her but felt natural in every way. The Phoenix made it all feel like normal.

The black betrayed it. Wherever they moved, everything died. They lived on the life of others, plants, animals, everything that was alive gave them their strength as they drained every bit of life force. It was just one, moving through the shadows fast straight towards her. Azura cocked her head to the side flames coiling around her hands and arms ready to strike.

It swiftly moved from side to side and she had not been able to catch a glimpse of it yet. She could only follow the trail of Nothing it left in its wake. Despite that, images formed in her mind, created by the Phoenix as it showed her what they were and what they did. Any fear that rose in her chest was consumed by the Phoenix straight away. The bird was giving her body back but they were one and its needs and desires were hers.

When it came and lunged for her, Azura lifted her hand, flames erupting from it stopping the creature dead in its tracks. It was black, obsidian. Darker than anything she had ever seen before. It absorbed all the light as she observed the creature before her. It did the same with her; its movements jerky and twitching. It had four thin long legs with dark sharp claws at the end of it. Shadow smoke coiled around it and the body was thin and emaciated. The ribs and bones were clearly visible and yet she doubted if they were really bones. There were no eyes on the head. It looked like a wolf or anything canine-related, yet it stood higher on its legs and was much thinner. A long tail moved behind it. It was almost a 2d image yet it walked in 3d, prowling and feeding of everything with just a touch.

It opened its mouth revealing a black split tongue like a snake and endless rows of razor-sharp teeth like a shark. The way it moved resembled a cat and its snarls sounded like one as well.

"We have seen enough," Azura spoke without realizing. As if the Phoenix had allowed her to take a good look at the creature that normally only appeared in nightmares.

Azura raised her hand, the flames spewing from it when she dropped her arm and hit the darker-than-night creature over its head. It roared loudly as the flames seemed to eat it alive before the roar died down and the creature evaporated in black smoke as if it never even existed.

Right as it went up in smoke, a loud crumbling of the earth could be earth, and the ground she was standing on started shaking again. Azura growled and her head snapped up to the distance where the creature had come from. Where there had been just one trail of black, now many were moving through the high grass, weaving from left to right. There were too many to count.

Her head snapped back to the town behind them where life was bustling. Some might come for her, recognizing her for what she was as their natural enemy but most would feel the need to feed to give strength to the growing entity that could only be compared to a bee's queen. And the best source of food was behind her.

The Phoenix flipped Azura's head back, a plan forming in their minds as she watched five of the creatures come her way. As expected, the rest were zigzagging, following their non-existent noses to the place where life source was most abundant.

Primal creatures, only guided by instincts with no way to think for themselves, guided by their queen as pawns. Yet, they were not to be underestimated. As one they were taken care of with ease, but with many, they could become a true danger. Blending into shadows to become almost invisible, their bodies able to melt together to grow bigger and if needed, could take the shape of something else to attend to the needs of their mother, their queen.

Azura her own consciousness still lay present deep in her mind and as it caught on to the Phoenix's plans it struggled, trying to regain control, separating their thoughts. Trashing against the confines of sanity and power the Phoenix had bestowed upon her. The flames inside her raged up, caressing her, comforting her like a child and reasoning with her till their minds would grow to become one once again.

By now the five that were coming for her were close and her eyes flashed between red and blue a few times while a smile grew on her face. This was something they would enjoy.

Flames erupted from her back as real as they could get. They were three times her size and soon took shape of wings the same as the Phoenix's. All the same her arms, ignited again as the heat soared through her. When the first creature attacked, she was ready. She whirled around as it jumped towards her and with one swift movement a whip of fire sliced through its neck. It evaporated into smoke much like the very first one had done.

Azura danced, the wings lifting her from the ground from time to time. She laughed at the power, at the freedom it gave her.

The remaining four stalked around her, communicating through high screeches. Each took a side before they attacked. Azura whirled around again, a coil of fire following her movement but it was not enough to get them all. As she slaughtered two into a cloud of black nothingness, one grazed by her face, a few centimeters left, taking the oxygen away for a moment as its black smoke curled around her face for an instant. The other attacked from the left and as Azura obliterated the first two and saw the third one just miss her by a hair, the fourth extended its claws and dug its nails into her shoulder before it crashed into her flaming wings, killing itself in the process.

Azura cursed as a sharp pain erupted from her shoulder. Even with just a few scratches, it managed to drain a lot of her power before it died. A good thing it did because that immediately stopped the draining of her life force. With a grunt the slashed the last one down before ripping off the tattered jacket she was wearing. She laid her shoulder bare and watched as three gashes went from the top down her arm. Red blood mixed with black edges as the skin around the gashes had died instantly and curled up. The veins surrounding the gashes had turned black creating a spiderweb on her shoulder. That was too close and as Azura closed the wounds by burning them shut and she hoped some of the dark poison would die with it. Nonetheless, it would leave a mark.

With these five dealt with, it was time to take care of the rest with the plan that had come to her before. To ensure victory, sacrifices had to be made and there was no room for error. Azura rubbed the closed wounds one more time, happy to see some of the black webbings had disappeared before she turned to the town. It was a strange sight as it looked like the town was covered in the shadows. She quickly glanced around to make sure none of the creatures were straying and as soon as she was content they were all in the town Azura pushed the shift.

Bones snapped as flames erupted all over her body. Arms turned to wings, feet to talons, and her head that of the phoenix. It felt not the same as the first time she shifted into the Phoenix. That shift was forced, painful, and unnatural. Now she embraced the new form and the shift happened just as natural and fast as her shift to the snow leopard.

The Phoenix took to the air with a few strong beats of the wings. Embers danced around her with each powerful stroke. Her three long tail feathers followed gracefully behind her. Somewhere in her mind, she remembered how those same flaming tail feathers had smashed Nora against the rocks and killed her but that didn't feel as painful as it should have. It was needed and it had been a quick death.

The flaming bird was above its target in no-time. It watched as the creatures ran through the streets, entering houses and chasing anything that was alive. For something so deadly that came upon the town, it was dreadfully silent as the people who actually saw the creatures simply had no time to scream. Content with seeing and all of the creatures in the town, there was just one thing she could do.

Heat gathered deep in the belly of the Phoenix before it spewed a fire, so hot, down back to earth. The creatures roared at the sight of it. The continuous stream of fire that hit the earth, spread out like water and as the Phoenix flew over the city, soon everything was blazing.

Now screams could be heard. Defiant roars mixed with human terror as shadows beasts and humans alike were set ablaze.

Azura recoiled at the sight but the Phoenix forced to make her watch. This was needed, there was no other way. The more the creatures of the dark consumed, the more energy was given to the Queen. So by killing their food source, the creatures could not feed. That combined with the fact it lured them out so she could easily kill them all as well as a bonus. It was foolish to feel emotions at their deaths as the people living there would have died anyway.

For ten minutes, The attack of fire continued. Sometimes the Phoenix stopped and swooped in to manually dispose of some of the creatures who had jumped up on the roofs before it would take to air again and destroy anything that was still standing. In just ten minutes, there was nothing left of the town except deadly silence, smoldering ashes, and burning remains.