The Final Four RTP-1 Battles!
In their full unabridged form.
5000+ words of pure battle!
The Battle for Fourth- BRIAR VS. FLASHTAIL
The long awaited match was set to begin, Briar and her legendary blade Ratdeath have triumphed in many battles, most recently one against her friend Bella, but this was a new battle. Could Ratdeath defend against the ranged attack and confusing powers of Flashtail's longbow? Or was this destined to be the squirrel's last battle.
Flashtail was covered from head to toe in armor, helm, boots, and gauntlets, anything and everything to defend from Ratdeath, whereas the squirrel wore only her armor and camouflage, holding her large shield in one paw, Ratdeath in the other, and her blade claws ready to flicker into action at any time. The hare drew her bow, nocked an arrow and drew back the string, as she held her dagger covered in a paralyzing powder in a scabbard about her waist. This was destined to be a great battle.
With a somersault, Briar rose leapt out of a tree onto the boggy ground below, a pawstretch away from her opponent, Flashtail. With that, Flashtail released the arrow and the battle begin in a hurry.
The squirrel merely turned aside to dodge the arrow, but had to quickly cover her exposed side with her shield, as another arrow thudded into it. The squirrel crouched down and advanced slowly, looking around the shield often to make sure Flashtail had not moved, but never popping her head around the shield in the same place twice, lest an arrow fall atwixt her eyes.
In this slow fashion, the squirrel made her way to the hare, who waited patiently, with bowstring drawn and aimed at the shield creeping towards her. Suddenly, Briar's foot punched through the ground, into water! They were battling on a floating mat of peat!
Briar quickly retracted her foot, hoping her opponent did not yet know. As she approached the hare, she made a final charge, knocking the hare's bow aside.
Briar sprang up and slashed out with Ratdeath, but Flashtail leapt quickly aside. The hare had leapt so high, that upon landing, her spiked boots pierced the boggy mat of peat, sending her straight through to the water below.
Briar looking around carefully, knowing her opponent could come from anywhere under the mat of peat, but if she stayed below too long....
On an impulse, Briar set down her shield and stood upon it, moments later Flashtail attempted to force her way up, from below her opponent. The hare gasped for air as her helmed head pierced the peat from below, but suddenly she was sent back under by the weight of the squirrel on the shield, but this time the shield itself punched through upon landing, sending the squirrel below.
Briar quickly resurfaced, gasping for air. Her shield lost below, Briar quickly made her way far from the place where she had pierced through the peat, and sure enough the hare resurfaced soon after, and ran hard on the squirrel's heels.
The hare reached for an arrow out of her quiver, but she did not notice that under the water the arrows had floated out of the quiver! Turning about, Flashtail saw about half of her arrows floating in the patch of water where she had fallen through the first time.
Such a twist of fate it was! Briar without her shield, Flashtail without her arrows. Once the hare had turned about, Briar charged, however, the hare had seen this out of the corner of her eye. The hare fell upon her back and kicked out with her viciously spiked boots, lacerating the squirrel's stomach.
The squirrel quickly plunged Ratdeath into the peat, missing the hare, but slicing the peat at such a length, that the hare began sliding off into the incision Briar had made.
This gave Briar enough time to use a healing potion and slash out again. Once again, the squirrel missed her target, as the hare rolled skillfully into the water, knowing the squirrel would have expected her to roll the other way.
With shocking speed, the hare burst through the surface, slamming the hard ashwood of her bow into the squirrel's leg. The squirrel winced momentarily and was confused for just a moment, but she saw the hare draw her dagger, so Briar quickly met steel upon steel, her blade claws flickering out just in time to stop the vicious dagger.
Briar managed to withdraw her sword from the match of blades, and in the same motion, deliver a little cut to the hare's footpaw. The hare suddenly became scared, as hallucinations filled her mind…Ratdeath's powers were at work.
The hare stumbled backwards, in fear of the awesome blade. Briar caught on to what was happening, after being momentarily confused by her opponent's odd behavior.
Suddenly, the squirrel plunged the sword into the peat, and quickly ran about the hare. As the hare's eyes widened in fear, the squirrel managed to cut slab after slab of the peat from around the patch her opponent sat on, tossing them far away.
In less than a minute, the squirrel had alienated her opponent to a small island, with the entire rest of the peat "land" no closer than three pawsteps away. Realizing this, Flashtail finally regained her composure, though if she had had her arrows Flashtail would have enjoyed her position.
The hare turned over and over again in her mind one question, "What is she doing? She has no ranged weapons…what could she have planned." The hare never let her sight drift from her opponent, but something was drifting…
Flashtail finally took the shield from the strap on her back, and held it tightly in her paws, knowing something was going on…
Briar had anticipated such a move, but she kept her eye intently on her opponent, but kept good notice of the island on which her opponent stood, as it got closer to the rest of the peat mat.
Flashtail finally noticed how close she was to the rest of the peat, and took a leap to reach it, in the blink of an eye, the squirrel was upon her. Briar smashed her sword's hilt into the hare's unprotected face, hitting her perfectly between the wings of the helm.
The hare was stunned, and went out like a light as she slowly sank to the bottom of the water. Briar waited for nearly an hour, standing vigilant, in case her opponent returned, but she finally settled in her mind the fact that, somewhere under the peat on which she stood, in the depths of the waters below, lay the dead body of Flashtail.
With that, the squirrel made her way to the sides of the peat covered lake, leaping onto dry ground, and taking to the trees… back to the Rise to Power.
The fight for Third- MAPLEPAW VS. BRIAR
In a rematch of the spectacular finale to BS4, Maplepaw and Briar Rose faced off once more, this time in RTP fashion.
Last time, Maplepaw defeated Briar Rose for the title of Battle Season Champion; this time there was no title on the line, but just as much may have hung in the balance. This time Briar Rose had a new ally, in the shape of the sword Ratdeath, but was it enough to turn the tides?
Maplepaw and Briar both hung in the leafy boughs of trees in Mossflower Wood; this is where the battle would be taking the place. High above the grassy ground and scrubby underbrush of the forest, Maplepaw and Briar leaped and climbed from tree to tree with acrobatic ease. Here, where the stakes were high, the battle was to begin.
Maplepaw began the battle with a flaming arrow from her crossbow, which thudded into the newly wet bark of the tree Briar Rose hung on. Luckily it had just rained the night before, or else the whole of Mossflower might have been set afire by just one arrow.
Briar quickly leaped from tree to tree, closing in on her opponent, who had the ranged advantage. Briar nimbly dodged three more arrows shot with great accuracy by Maplepaw. With one great leap, Briar flew out of a tree from a branch high above her opponent. Briar's jump gained speed as she began falling towards her target, which was now just a paw's stretch away.
Just as Briar was about to land a forceful kick on Maplepaw's stomach, Maplepaw swung out with her bow like a club. The bow splintered, but Briar was knocked off course.
Briar's breath had been knocked out of her, and amidst her surprise, the squirrel could not grab the branch she had intended for, and so she fell, hitting five branches on the way down. It was a long fall, and Briar no doubt had broken bones.
Maplepaw tried firing an arrow at the injured squirrel, but found that her crossbow was in need of some minor repairs, and that there was no way she could hit Briar with it shooting so powerlessly. So Maplepaw quickly descended from the height of the oak tree in which she stood.
Briar rose had quickly used two healing potions, one for her cuts and bruises, another to help heal her bones. Maplepaw leapt down, her spiked boots landing squarely on Briar's stomach, stabbing deep into her armor, just far enough to deal a light scratch to Briar's flesh.
Maplepaw withdrew her boot from Briar's stomach and quickly flicked out her blade claws, which played with the speckled light that landed between the leaves of Mossflower.
Maplepaw slashed out, but Briar rolled aside. Maplepaw's slash had left Briar with a long, but shallow cut on her leg, but Briar barely noticed the new wound. Briar recovered Ratdeath, which had fallen a few paces away from her as she fell out of the tree.
Maplepaw silently cursed herself for not seeing the blade on the ground and taking it from Briar, but now she focused on just her enemy. Maplepaw slashed out viciously, to Briar's left and right sides simultaneously.
Briar parried the slash to the right with her sword, the left with her shield. Maplepaw pressed hard with her claws, but gained no ground on the equally strong Briar. Seeing the stalemate, Maplepaw dealt a devastating head-butt to Briar with her helmed head into Briar's unprotected forehead.
Briar stumbled backwards and dropped her shield as her paw went to her injured forehead. Maplepaw saw her chance and slashed out with her blade talons, just to see Briar slash the sharp tips off with Ratdeath.
Maplepaw stared in amazement at the sword that Briar held; only the strongest blades could clip the claws from her blades. Maplepaw realized her position was fickle now, with blunt claws and a malfunctioning crossbow, she had to think quickly to defeat Briar and her amazing sword.
Maplepaw took out her crossbow, to use it as a club once more; at least it had retained its fiery property. Maplepaw kicked out with her boots, which Briar blocked with her shield, but then Maplepaw swung with the crossbow as flames leapt from the strange club.
Ratdeath met the crossbow forcefully, so forcefully that there was a great explosion of fire and smoke. The fiery explosion caused by the great magic of Ratdeath and the fire of the crossbow sent both squirrels flying into nearby trees. The smoke cleared and both creatures lay stunned at the base of different trees.
The squirrels lay dazed for a moment, their singed fur still sending off a plume of light gray smoke. Both squirrels regained their senses at about the same time. Each reached instinctively for their pack, for a healing potion.
To the surprise of both creatures, their packs had been blown off in the explosion! The fire had burned the straps and the explosion had sent both bags flying to somewhere unknown. As each squirrel gazed at the other they saw it!
There was one healing potion, lying in a smoldering bush. The light played off the glass bottle, teasing each squirrel that could not summon the energy and strength to retrieve the bottle that was oh so close. Both squirrels began to slowly and painfully make their way towards the healing potion.
Whose potion was it? That was of no matter now; both knew that without it, they would die. Briar and Maplepaw began to move faster, as each saw the other one closing in on the bottle, however soon their paces slowed, both hung their heads low.
The squirrels might have died right there, both of them, if it hadn't been for Briar's good fortune. The charred bush in which the bottle sat finally crumbled under the potion's weight.
The bottle fell lightly to the ground and rolled, right into Briar's deathlike paws. With all the energy she could summon, Briar used the potion while gazing into Maplepaw's longing eyes. Maplepaw had her left paw out-stretched; her eyes wide open as Briar used her only lifeline. Tear's welled up in both squirrels' eyes, both realizing it had been only by chance that Briar would live, and Maplepaw was doomed to death.
With a tearful sob and a light sigh, Maplepaw's eyes closed forever, as Briar Rose watched tearfully.
The Fight for Second- BRIAR VS. CLIFF
Briar Rose strode out into the grassy clearing in the center of Mossflower Wood. The squirrel was making her third straight appearance in a battle. The most battle-worn of all the RTPers remaining, battle was nothing new for Briar. The undefeated squirrel would be facing off against an inexperienced fighter in RTP action, but no doubt one of the strongest competitors. Cliff would pose the squirrel some troubles if she was ever to make it to face Sabriel in the final match.
Of course Cliff wanted and needed a win just as much. Since Sabriel defeated him in BS3, Cliff has had the taste of her blood on his lips. He knew they were destined to meet again, and only one creature stood in the way of destiny, the rugged warrior Briar Rose.
Briar saw her opponent at the other end of the field, and knew he had the ranged advantage, so she donned her shield, drew her sword, and began her cautious charge. However, she was halted just paces after her charge began, as a huge rock landed just a step in front of her, leaving a massive crater of matted grass as it threw dust into the air.
Shielding her eyes against the sun, Briar looked up to see Coldeyes, the most vicious raven mercenary of the northern raven clans. She would have to be even more cautious now.
Suddenly an icy arrow pierced the air, landing deep within the ground at Briar's footpaws. Briar had to make her charge quick and cautiously, an awful challenge to behold.
As Briar made her secondary charge, she saw the shadow of the raven, diving down at her. If she had had time, Briar would have cleaved the bird in half, but she had to dive quickly to avoid the bird's razor-sharp claws as it flew by just overhead, and then another arrow came.
Briar rolled to her left, as the arrow barely missed piercing her flesh. Again it came, a giant rock, slamming a little farther away from Briar than the first one, and soon the barrage became steady, likewise did the stream of arrows pouring from Cliff's crossbow. Briar couldn't keep dodging them both forever.
Finally, one of Cliff's chilling arrows found its mark, striking Briar's left leg. The squirrel shivered uncontrollably, and was forced to curl up behind her shield while she was vulnerable. Briar almost dropped her potion bottle twice in her shivering hands, but the squirrel managed to use the potion, curing the chills and helping to heal her wound, however a heavily weighted net soon fell upon her, perfectly targeted by Coldeyes.
Cliff saw his chance; he sprinted forward, holding his shield out in front of him, wary of Ratdeath's awesome powers. Cliff approached the trapped squirrel, and just as he did, Briar slashed the net open with her blade claws, pointing one razor-tipped claw at Cliff.
Cliff lashed out with Scourgetail, but it clanked harmlessly off Briar's shield. Briar struck out with a blade claw, quickly followed up by a slash at Cliff's footpaws with Ratdeath.
Cliff looked down just in time to see Briar's mystical blade sever four of his toes off. Quickly using a healing potion, Cliff felt better immediately, though his running and agility were slightly hindered.
Briar lashed out again with Ratdeath, but Cliff's shield blocked the sword with a loud metallic clank. Both creatures' paws were rattled as shield met sword, giving Coldeyes ample opportunity to swoop in and steal Ratdeath right from Briar's paws.
Cliff smiled up at his bird ally, knowing their plan had worked perfectly. Coldeyes dropped the magical sword into Cliff's waiting paws. The polecat grinned with evil anticipation as he glared at his opponent, who was stunned by a terrible turn of events.
"She's all yours, Coldeyes!" Cliff yelled up to his feathered friend, knowing the bird's lust for blood. The bird cawed back in joyful anticipation.
Cliff merely ran circles, just far enough away from the squirrel to stay out of her range as Coldeyes swooped down, lashing out with beak and claws.
Finally, Briar dove to the ground just as Coldeyes dove at her. The bird was unable to stop and soon Coldeyes and Cliff were rolling on the ground in a mess of fur and feathers.
Now Briar had her chance; she reclaimed Ratdeath and drove it hard into the polecat. With a diabolical chuckle, Cliff arose, apparently unharmed, and Coldeyes, slightly unstable by his side.
Briar was stunned, she was sure her blade had gotten Cliff, but looking at the blade, there was no fresh blood, she had stabbed it into a mat of thick grass just by Cliff's side!
Briar knew the bird wasn't as ample on the ground, so she concentrated her efforts upon Coldeyes, but the bird quickly took to the air, just as Ratdeath flailed about, clipping a feather from the bird's tail.
With a slash of his tail, Cliff managed to trip Briar and poison her at the same time. Cliff leapt upon the squirrel, enjoying every laceration he made to Briar's face. He flicked her helmet off onto the ground, and set upon her head, but Briar slashed viciously with Ratdeath, cleaving off Cliff's right ear.
The polecat took a step back, giving both creatures enough time to use yet another healing potion.
Coldeyes took a dive, aiming for Briar's back this time. The squirrel turned around just in time to see the raven's open beak, and jam her empty potion bottle down the bird's gullet!
Coldeyes was shocked; he choked upon the bottle and skidded into the ground. Cliff quickly removed the bottle, but the bird's throat was bleeding profusely. Cliff used one of his own potions upon the bird, knowing he was better off with the bird than the potion.
Briar roared as she charged into her two opponents, kicking, slashing, and jabbing at anything she could kill. The polecat received a large cut to his side, but he rolled over in time to dodge a jab, at the same time tripping Briar once more with Scourgetail.
In the blink of an eye, Coldeyes had set himself upon the squirrel, tearing viciously at her leather armor and unprotected flesh. With a great head-butt, Coldeyes subdued the squirrel's struggle, and continued ripping her up with his sharp iron beak.
Cliff couldn't stand to watch the horrible site; the bird ripped the poor squirrel's tail off, sending it flying yards away. Blood spattered everywhere as the raven's lust for blood was satisfied.
When the raven was done, Briar was scarcely recognizable as a squirrel…. and Ratdeath had disappeared. Cliff thought to himself, and despite being a vermin he knew Briar didn't deserve such a horrible death. With more remorse than common among vermin, Cliff shed a single tear as he looked upon the bloody battlefield.
The battle for First- SABRIEL VS. CLIFF Also entitled La Fin.
Sabriel and Cliff were ready for their long awaited and much belated battle. The two opponents had faced off before, in the very same situation: two remaining, but only one survivor to become champion of all. Sabriel the wildcat had won their prior meeting, however Cliff was a force to be reckoned with, coming of a resounding victory against Briar Rose and her mythical blade, Ratdeath. Cliff was on a roll and Sabriel had a history of victory against her opponent… but as always, only one would win.
Sabriel began the battle as expected, as soon as Cliff was within range of her massive longbow she rained arrow after chilling arrow before Cliff could get in range for his crossbow to reach the wildcat. Cliff dodged the arrows as they rained down, but made sure none fell to far away from him, burying their chilly tips into the hot sand. Cliff wanted Sabriel to focus all her energy and attention on him; this plan could not fail.
Cliff had already told his mercenary about the creature they'd be after and promised the vicious raven a great reward for victory. The bird patrolled the skies for a few minutes, as the chilling arrows rained down like some mystical hail, falling about Cliff. When the opportunity arrived, just as Sabriel reached to her quiver for another arrow, the bird dove in.
Coldeyes was a warlike creature, as coldhearted as his name. The bird took a vicious dive at the wildcat, but Sabriel sensed the bird's presence, or perhaps its unmistakable stench of the bloody meals it had consumed. At any rate, Sabriel ducked just in time, but the raven clipped off her helmet and snapped her long bow in half, however the bird collided with the ground soon after he accidentally clipped the longbow with his great wings.
The bird somersaulted in a ball of feathers, and the wildcat was quick to pounce, however the bird was a warrior on land as well.
Sabriel slashed out with her massive broadsword, her only remaining weapon. The bird caught the blade in its massive iron beak as metal clanked upon metal. The bird could have easily snapped the blade in two if it hadn't been forged so well, but no matter how she tried, Sabriel could not pry the blade from Coldeye's iron beak, and so the bird began lashing out with his vicious talons.
As Cliff approached, the bird was scratching Sabriel, scoring a deep wound very seldom. So, in a sneak attack, Cliff snuck up behind Sabriel and lashed out viciously with Scourgetail. Sabriel smelled the polecat as she must have the bird, and with a heavy of her bulging, massive muscles, Sabriel swung the sword, with raven gripped firmly to the blade. The bird swung quickly around, slamming into Cliff as his Scourgetail deeply gashed the bird's gullet.
Sabriel's sword came loose as Cliff was knocked to the ground and the bird tried to take to the air, despite a deeply injured neck. The bird did not get far however, before he could gain much altitude Sabriel swung high over her head with the sword, cleaving off one of the bird's massive wings.
The wing came down, striking Sabriel on her now un-helmed head, and the bird came down soon after. What terrible luck was it that the bird came down in such a heavy heap upon its slayer!
Knowing the raven was a total loss, Cliff slashed out viciously, making no distinction between feather and fur. He had recovered from Sabriel's strange attack and was now claiming his harsh retribution. The raven's bloody quasi-alive body lay upon the near-senseless wildcat as Cliff lashed out viciously with Scourgetail, lacerating and jabbing both the raven and wildcat all the same, helping the raven to his untimely death, as he would be no use in the battle anyhow, as injured and handicapped as he was.
The wildcat struggled to kick the massive feathery beast off her, but she could do little without removing her paws from her face, exposing it to Cliff's vicious weapon. Sabriel rolled over as best she could and pushed up with paw and claw, lifting the massive bird over her muscular shoulders.
With a furious roar, the cat hurled Coldeye's corpse at his employer. The bird's massive iron beak slammed into Cliff's helm, leaving a deep dent, but the wearer uninjured. Sabriel reclaimed her sword as Cliff crawled out from under the dead bird. With a quick draft, Sabriel downed the healing potion, stopping any poison from taking effect and healing her many wounds, however there was no potion to cure weariness; it took its effect on both beasts.
Sabriel charged at Cliff with her defiant broadsword, but Cliff had a different idea. He quickly ascended the sandy dunes on which the fight was taking place. Little had they affected the battle until now. Cliff made the steep ascent, with Sabriel in very close pursuit, close enough for Cliff's plan to work.
Cliff began scattering sand with his footpaws, sending the sand into Sabriel's exposed eyes. Sabriel's paws went to her face in a reflexive reaction, flecking sand from her face. With that, Cliff kicked the wildcat in her face, sending her tumbling down the high dune in a flurry of sand.
At the bottom, Sabriel rolled and somersaulted; acrobatically returning to her footpaws in one swift motion, but her weapon had been lost in the sand during the roll.
Now it was time for Cliff to rain arrows. His arrows were likewise chilling, but more numerous than the wildcat's as he could fire much faster from his crossbow.
The arrows dug into the sand as the sun was setting over the southwestern horizon. Sabriel dodged and evaded arrow after arrow, but soon began to lose her sanity as she had lost her blade to the tumultuous sand. The sand was constantly shifting, and even as the wind picked up, Sabriel had become certain her blade was no doubt buried under feet of sand, well beyond her grasp. The shifting dunes had covered her weapon, her only remaining weapon, well. They were the perfect place for losing an item, not to be seen again for many seasons.
The wildcat became furious, working herself into a zealous frenzy as what remained of her fleeting sanity set with the sun. She had managed to evade and dodge the heavy rain of arrows for almost a half an hour now, an amazing feat for such a battle-worn creature. Perhaps it was her loss of sanity, or perhaps it was the fact that Cliff knew wildcats had better night-vision than polecats that had him worried. As the sun's last rays set over the far horizon and the crescent moon rose over the dunes and the nearby sea, Cliff's arrows became few and far between in flight. Just enough to keep the wildcat at bay, but when clouds blocked the moon's meager light, Cliff fired off many arrows, trying to keep the wildcat from reaching him, despite not knowing her location, but it made certain she knew his.
Cliff's arrows were well of course; the wildcat was safe from all harm as she began to quietly ascend the dune from Cliff's back. Every moment she was aware she was closer to her quarry, but had no weapon with which to fight.
The wildcat's earlier zeal had turned into a lust for blood, not so uncommon to wildcats, but in a scale so great that no wildcat ever had had such a lust, not even the most mentally disturbed of wildcats had ever reached this level of bloodlust. Her frenzy lit her eyes, as they had expanded to thrice their normal size to absorb the meager light the night had to offer.
She leapt up on top of the dune, raking her claws at Cliff's back. The polecat flinched in pain, but his tail was quick in retribution, lashing out at the wildcat that struck at his back like some phantom in the night.
The clouds were swept away from the moon, shedding its mellow light upon a furious battle below. The wildcat fought tooth and claw, biting and scratching, while the polecat lashed out with his tail and blocked with shield.
Suddenly, Sabriel kicked Cliff's left footpaw, sending it flying out from under him, and his other footpaw soon slipped on the unstable sand…and once again the wind picked up. The wind gusts became so great that both creatures had to crouch low to the ground to avoid the blustering wind and the sand tossed about in it.
It became a great sandstorm, one impenetrable by the moon's light, and soon both fighters lost sight of their opponent. Cliff's tail flailed in the wind, and it was quick to detect the presence of the wildcat, as it flickered lightly upon her legfur. Cliff spun about to see his opponent, facing the other way, as the wind swept her tail under her. She had not taken any notice of his tail's light tap, disregarding it as more of the sand that dealt its stinging blow repeatedly.
Cliff's tail flicked up quickly, with the aid of the wind's great force. Quickly, the polecat wrapped his tail about the wildcat's neck. He leapt in mid-air, twisting his body around at such a rate that the wildcat was forced to flip as well, landing on the ground amidst a pile of blowing sand.
Cliff quickly lashed out with the tip of his tail to Sabriel's face, which was bleeding, as was his own, from the stinging blow the sand dealt every second. The wildcat opened her mouth, baring fangs. She bit down hard, causing Cliff to cringe in pain, but quickly coughing up a mouthful of sand.
Now Cliff knew the battle was his! He had to achieve victory, for he knew the way to win! Cliff quickly flicked his tail up to Sabriel's muzzle. Both creatures had been breathing through their noses, so to limit their sandy intake. But with a quickly and deep slash to Sabriel's nose, Cliff cut off the wildcat's safe air route.
Sabriel's nose bled quickly, and with a few more deep cuts from Scourgetail, Cliff managed to cause her nasal passage to fill with blood, making the wildcat unable to breath through it.
When her mouth open, gasping for air, her claws flailing wildly, trying to slash the polecat's tail, Cliff forced the wildcat's face into the sand. It was not easy to keep such a great and powerful beast from lifting her head, so Cliff resorted to sitting upon the wildcat's head, forcing Sabriel to eat sand, unable to breath.
With a choke and a sob, Sabriel coughed up a mass of sand, saturated in dark, rich blood. The vile mixture tainted the sand as she repeated over and over, soon parts of her lungs, wretched by the sand began to cough out as well. There was no potion or healer on earth who could save her.
As the wind died, so did Sabriel the wildcat, former champion from so long ago.