So this was it.  His final moments on this earth, doomed to be spent scrambling for oxygen that just wasn’t there.  Better make these last thoughts count.  First, damn evolution for not creating a man/fish hybrid that could breath underwater.  Of course, that brought these last thoughts on to Killer Croc, who he cursed equally.  The mutant couldn’t keep his appetite in check long enough for him to flood Gotham’s water supply with toxin.  Why couldn’t he have had some of the clown’s useless neanderthals for lunch?   And then there was the bat.  Ah, if only he had enough seconds to convey all the thoughts (mostly angry) he had about the vigilante.

He thought he had grabbed onto a crate of sorts, but he was so weak and tired that even a small wave knocked him off, and he was under again.  His mask floated off, followed by bubbles flowing from his now open mouth.  The last of his oxygen.  Although it probably wasn’t so useful anymore, as it had been held so long it was most likely all carbon dioxide by now.
He knew he would probably die early, but drowning was not at all how he wanted it to happen.

His vision was growing dark now, and he was absolutely sure he was fish snacks by now.  Of course, vision going dark didn’t usually happen with random holes of darkness appearing in your vision.  He had been punched out enough to know that.  Was it really in his vision, or was that hole really there?  Either way, he was floating towards it, and didn’t have the strength to move away at all.  Not after his wrestling match with a mutant crocodile.  Although guessing by the unusually close view of his mouth and teeth had the poor fortune to view, he was starting to think Killer Croc was more related to the alligator species.

That was the last thing he thought before losing consciousness completely.
__________________________________

He awoke, coughing, spluttering, gasping for that ever so precious molecule called oxygen.  He didn’t particularly care where he was, so long as air reached his lungs.  Once he was certain that he was actually alive (this was checked by seeing if he still had red marks on his neck from that caped fool’s death grip), the next priority was finding his mask.  Which was lying on the ground, sopping wet, right next to him.  Good, and the toxin was still in its place.  He was counting himself incredibly lucky about this time.

Now, check the surroundings.  Some sort of small forest, a hole in a large wall to one side, a dilapidated mansion to the other.  Nevermind how he got here from Gotham bay, it was certainly too… clean to be a part of the city.  Shakily standing up on his long legs, he looked out through the hole, his eyes met with a sizeable town.  Definitely not Gotham, considering the smog didn’t block out the sun at twilight.

Perhaps this would be a chance to start over.  As much as he enjoyed terrorizing Gotham to draw the bat’s attention, always losing was getting a bit tiring.

And with new people about, there was new fun to be had.
_________________________________________

Later, talk was all over Twilight Town about the break-in.  Various clothes, foodstuffs, and of course all the munny in the register, was stolen.  Added to the unusualness of a crime in such a close-knit community as Twilight Town, was that those in the shop at the time had been sprayed with some sort of chemical.  The screaming could practically be heard all the way up to Station Heights.  The community quickly closed off the area around the shop, although that didn't stop from drawing a crowd.  The victims couldn't be moved, they would scream every time someone so much as touched them.  And they all kept muttering the same thing.

Scarecrow.

====

Of all the times Audrey Jones decided to relax in her temporary home, to relax after having two encounters with new enemy types. She could hear the commotion from her own apartment, preventing her from sleeping off her weariness. Just great; every time she wanted to take a break from all her Interfering travels, something like this always came up. So the Dream Mage left the building to find out what was going.

She had found the crowd by the closed off area. She saw the victims, how terrified they were. What happened? Did Ignis do this? Was he trying to lure her out?

No, that wasn't the case. The minute that thought came to mind, Audrey heard what they were muttering. Scarecrow...why did that ring a bell? It was at the tip of her tongue, but for some reason, she couldn't catch it...

Whatever, despite her annoyance, the young woman couldn't leave this be. It's always been a habit of hers to help those in danger, despite what she may get herself into. So Audrey turned and began running down the streets, in search of any lead that may help her find this 'Scarecrow'.

====

Abigail was in a strange mood.

She wasn't really angry, no more so than was normal for her at any rate.  She had recently acquired a new weapon in the form of the long-bladed 'Moonlight Prism', and that was something that she was grateful toward Luna for.  She could tell that it held much more power than the previous Katar, 'Luna's Grace', and that he altered her moderate healing powers to make them more powerful, and that was something that could help her pack.  And, on that subject, she had even managed to find Helen, the newest member of her pack.  She was obviously still new to the whole concept of what this place was, but Abigail had faith that Luna had led them to each other for a reason.

However, she had crossed paths with the bastard werewolf that called itself 'Tyler' once more.  The false wolf had been left almost assuredly still alive, but in such a place that she couldn't get to him and finish the job that she had started.  Yes, meeting Tyler once on an otherwise very fruitful trip was enough to make the whole thing leave a bitter and sour taste in her mouth over the whole thing.

She growled, looking up and around the town that she was now found in.  There wasn't really a lofty reason for her being her, far from one actually; she was simply here to find a place that sold food so that she could by something to put in the 'galley' of he Gummi Ship.  Like most Interferences, she didn't actually have a home and mostly lived out of her transport; so she needed to keep the basic amenities well stocked in it.  Even if she couldn't really cook; she could still make basic dishes and stock up on snacks.

Not exactly a healthy reason for that matter, but she wasn't really all that worried about that.

Ironically enough, this completely mundane reason left her vulnerable to this new evil that had now been unleashed on the worlds.  Though she had walked by the crowds of people- and even heard the shouts of 'Scarecrow'- she hadn't been bothered enough to care about them.  Meaning that she wasn't taking any any extra precautions against attacks or enemies.

She was, as she would forcibly come to realize soon, a sitting duck.

====

They say that a criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.  While that may not be true for all, it was certainly true for doctor Crane.  Obviously his costume would have drawn attention, the reason for the missing clothes.  Now, he wore a baggy sweater (everything looked a bit baggy on him, really), and a pair of slacks, because he would not stand to wear jeans, no matter what the circumstances.

He blended into the rabble, feigning concern and interest at the scene that he had created.  In reality, he was simply going back to admire his work.  Well done, for such short notice in his opinion.  A nice balance of panic and calm.  After all, he didn't want the entire town to break into chaos just yet, he wanted to build up to it, like a maestro commanding an orchestra.

As he watched, he saw two young women walking independently from the crowd.  Alone, seemingly unprotected; yes, these would make the perfect targets.

He quickly strode into a side-street, where he took out a plastic bag he had taken from the store to make carrying supplies easier, and placed some of the food he had stolen in the bag.  He then tore the bottom of the bag slightly; just so that it would hold long enough, but would eventually break.

He then walked out of cover, and began walking calmly towards the two girls.  With perfect timing, the bag snapped just as he was about to pass the girl wtht he beret.

Looking a bit frustrated, he bent over trying to pick up his fallen groceries.  Of course, do to the natural hill of the town, some of the food began rolling away.  "Oh dear."  He muttered, standing up and beggining to chase after some of the cans and bottles.  Of course, even more food began to get away from him, since he had dropped the bag to go after the other edibles.  It was a pathetic display, really, and one he hoped would gain the girls' attention.

====

Audrey would have kept going her way, keep on looking for any lead. She almost didn't notice if anyone was coming her way or just passing by her. That changed when a man carrying a grocery bag had come up only for the bag to snap. The Dream Mage stopped in her tracks then, turning just to see the man going after his fallen groceries.

[i]'Are you kidding? At a time like this?'[/i] she thought to herself, keeping her exasperation only in mind.

[i][color=white]"Hey, it's not like you got a time limit or anything. Wherever this criminal is, he'll probably turn up soon enough."[/color]

'I know, Inari. I just wanted to[/i] relax [i]right now...'[/i]

Nonetheless, she decided to take a small pause in her search to help this supposed random civilian. So Audrey picked up the bag, took off her beret to hold it in place like a makeshift patch for the time being, and went to pick up the goods that had fallen out, evidently following after the man as she did. Once she caught up, she had picked up the rest of the groceries for him before turning to face him.

"You really shouldn't be out here when a crime scene is going on," she said, handing the bag back to him. "You have to be lucky to not have gotten caught before they closed off the shop area."

====

It was really just her personality, and some of her self-centeredness, but the lycanthrope honestly didn't care about the fact that the slender man had just spilled his groceries all over.  In fact, she would have just kept right on walking and only scoffed at his incompetence; had one of his foodstuffs not ended up in front of her.

She paused, looking at the canned food that was by her foot, then snatched it up and continued walking.  She knew that this was considered 'stealing' by most, but- again- she just didn't care that much.  She was here to find some food, and she had just found some; it was a far cry from what she was looking for, but it was still something and a [i]free[/i] something at that.  With one of the places closed and taped off, this was something that she was going to hold on to until she could find another place to shop for something a bit more substantial.

====

"You're too kind, young madam."  Crane said as the girl helped him retrieve his (stolen) food.

As to her caution, he replied, "I suppose they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."  He gathered up most of the food in his arms, as the girl carried the rest in her beret, and pulled out another bag from his pocket; which he placed the goods in.

He saw the other girl had picked up one of the dropped cans, and approached her.

"You know, it is very impolite to take things that do not belong to you."

He ignored the hypocrisy in that statement.

====

For a moment, Audrey had to frown at the man's calm attitude. It was as if to him, nothing had happened at all. It almost made her suspicious...but she shook it off. While she knew not to judge a book by its cover, she doubted this man would have done anything wrong.

Oh how wrong she was at the moment...

But forgetting that, the Dream Mage glanced over as the man walked up to the woman who stole one of his cans. Now here she could tell that this woman was probably an Interference, and most likely a strong one at that. With the slender man approaching her like this, she had a bad feeling that he would throw her off and get badly hurt. She sighed to herself; she [i]really[/i] didn't need this when there was a criminal running amuck.

Still, might as well do something to avoid needless danger along the way. So Audrey quickly walked up and intercepted the two.

"Mister, you should probably get yourself somewhere safe while you can. I'll handle this." That said, Audrey looked at the woman, uncaring to her intimidating appearance. She might not have been that strong, and a healer, but she showed absolutely no hesitance in sticking up for this complete stranger. "I suggest you give that back. Now."

====

Abigail outright ignored the thin man as he tried to call her out on the fact that she was stealing the can from him.  She had little care for the laws of society at the best of times, and this was hardly one of them.  She just continued to walk around, looking for another place that she could stop and buy some more food for her gummi.

Then the other person decided to try and get her to listen to their version of 'reason'.

The Lycanthrope looked back, her eyes narrowed into a glare at the pair of them for [i]daring[/i] to try and enforce their will over her: An Alpha!  "I have a better idea."  She growled, Real Claw appearing on the girl's free hand as she spoke in her bestial tone.  "You two leave, now, and I don't gut you both where you stand."

====

Crane only smiled.  He always enjoyed watching the 'tough' ones break down.  He put a calm hand on Audrey's shoulder, before stepping between her and Abigail.

"Allow me."

The lycanthrope would suddenly find a syringe in her arm, quickly pulled from a pocket.

He turned just as quickly to face the beret girl.

"And now, a reward for your gullibility."

He stabbed another needle in Audrey's arm, and then calmly oulled his mask from another pocket and put it on.

"You will regret the day you crossed Scarecrow."

====

Audrey was about to tell the woman that her threats meant nothing to her, that she wasn't afraid to take her on. She had faced a lot already; a fellow Interference that probably could gut her really had no effect on her.

But then the man had stepped forward...and stabbed the woman with a syringe. He moved so fast that she almost missed it, but she definitely caught him.

Audrey stiffened, almost about to summon her glaive on reflex. But just as quickly as he had injected the woman with the needle, he had turned to her and stabbed another one into her arm. She froze; she was absolutely terrified of needles. Of all the things she had faced, she was definitely paralyzed with fear over this already.

And those words...this was the Scarecrow everyone had been talking about, and...

Oh f***, now she remembered! Scarecrow! A villain from Batman! How could she have forgotten this!?

It was too late to curse herself for her idiocy now. The scenery had changed; the sky had turned from the orange sunset to an ominous blood red. And speaking of blood...it was everywhere. The sidewalks, buildings...on her. Stained, caked in it. Why...?

And then she heard a voice, almost familiar to her. [i]"Kill again."[/i]

What...no...it couldn't...Audrey brought up her hands shakily, staring at the blood that stained her gloves immensely. And then she looked down, near her feet...

And found Sorin's bloody, unmoving self right in front of her.

Right then, Audrey's scream had nearly echoed all the way to Sunset Hill.

====

There was a brief moment, just as the man drove his needle into her, that all felling(both metaphysical and physical) vanished.  For that one instant in time, there was no thought, no emotion, not even any pain from the needle now sticking out of her skin.

Then, that instant evaporated.

Her vision was suddenly twisted; the buildings warped and bent in such a way that geometry was forgotten and the utter madness became the ruling force.  Light was chased away, leaving only a sickly green glow that came from nowhere; colors shifted, her world becoming something out of a cartoonist's most demented of nightmares.

But, for all the insane shifts of reality, nothing else appeared.  In fact, Abigail was totally alone in this world her mind had created; which was entirely the problem.

Something grabbed at her shirt from behind, and she twisted to lash out with Feral Claw; but found nothing to hit.  Something tugged again, from her side now, and Luna's Grace appeared with a flash and was slashed; nothing again.  Her right leg was grabbed now, and she stabbed down into empty cobblestones.  Every tug, pull and even the occasional push was met with her finding there to be nothing there.

Suddenly, that nothing struck; hitting her across the face with enough force to make her stagger back.  Then came a blow to the gut, winding her, and she was then kicked in the side and only just barely managed to catch herself before hitting the ground.  She flailed wildly, her weapons scraping and cutting both wall and road; but the nothing kept retaliating violently, he weapons not even impeding its blows.  Her expression and swings grew ever more wild as the Lycanthrope desperately tried to fight back.

But she was only skilled in fighting enemies that were real and could be touched.  How could she fight literally [i]Nothing[/i]!?

====

The Scarecrow may not have been able to see what his victims currently were, but the Batman villain hadn't trained in the study of psychiatry for nothing.  He could tell feelings by their movements, facial expressions and the like.

He first turned to Audrey, who appeared the most vulnerable at the moment.

"You must see your friends, your loved ones.  They are beaten, broken, murdered.  And you know that it is all your fault, isn't it?"

He now looked at Abigail.

"And you; you are helpless.  You act strong, and powerful; yet in reality you are completely defenseless.  No one will help you, no one [i]wants[/i] to help you, because you push everyone away."

====

There was no way for Audrey to respond right now. She had fallen back, tried to crawl away from the sight before her. Aside from her love, she saw all of her friends, completely butchered. Cheryl, Jasmine, Rose...

This was all her fault, but not in the same meaning as what anyone would think. It was her fault...because it was [i]her[/i] doing. In the midst of her uncontrolled anger, she had completely butchered anyone she ever cared for. She was supposed to be a healer, and yet she once again walked the path of a bloodthirsty murderer.

Just like the Wraith said. Once she took that path, she would never turn away from it, no matter how much she tried to deny it.

Though she wasn't able to reply, she still heard the Scarecrow's words. In her vision, she saw the mask as something completely different. Instead of one that was stitched up, it was almost alive. Bloody...fleshbound...

The Dream Mage covered her eyes. She didn't want anymore of this.

"Please...make it stop..." she whimpered. "Make it stop..."

====

Abigail could only lash out and snarl like the animal that she was; even if it was futile to try and hit the nothing that assailed her, she wasn't going to let that stop her from flailing her katars about wildly in an effort to [i]try[/i] and hit something.

And the voice, that damned voice!

She snarled and growled in angry defiance, trying to tell herself that it was utter nonsense.  But she knew, she knew all to well in this state, that it was right.  Wherever, whatever that voice was, it was right.  She was helpless and there was no one that would willingly even try to save something like her.

That just made her even more desperate to prove what an Alpha could do when pushed.  Unbidden, or perhaps not, the signs of her her transformation began to appear on her body.  The face starting to slowly lengthen; the general body mass increase; the shifts in posture; all signs that she was soon to take the form of a massive wolf.

====

Crane simply laughed at Audrey's pleas.

"I cannot stop what is [i]your[/i] doing."

Looking again at Abigail, he was somewhat surprised by her transformation.  Certainly he had seen many people with strange powers in Gotham, but nothing like lycanthropy.

And no, Man-bat didn't count.

Knowing her vision kept the wolf-girl from seeing him, he moved farther away, just in case.

Of course, he highly doubted she would actually be able to attack him flailing around.

====

Those words to her were a big blow to her psyche. Audrey curled up on the ground, eyes clenched shut and arms wrapped tightly around herself. Tears squeezed out of her eyes as she mumbled, as if in complete denial, "No...this isn't...I'm not...I'm not a murderer...this isn't happening..."

It seemed she wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon. Being faced with the one fact that she tried to get over, thought she had redeemed herself over, was too much for her to handle...

[size=1][color=white][i]"Audrey, no! It's not real; don't believe it!"[/i][/color][/size]

The mage's eyes snapped wide open. It was faint, but...that voice...

"I...Inari...?"

[size=1][color=white][i]"It's a trick! Get up and fight back, before..."[/i][/color][/size]

That was all she could hear before the counterpart's voice was drowned out. What forced it away, she didn't know...but it was enough for her to get back up and do all she could to ignore her surroundings.

The hallucination she was placed in made her see the other woman change, but not into the wolf that she was. Rather to her, she changed into a large animal that looked like it was skinned alive, red from the dripping blood and muscles exposed. But that was not what she was focusing on right now. Her attention was all on the Scarecrow before her. While he had been distracted by the monstrosity, the Dream Mage summoned her glaive in her hands and began to charge the energy into it.

"This..." she began, her grip starting to shake from the amount of energy coming in. "Isn't..." Its power was at its maxed level now. "REAL!!!"

She swung the blade right for Scarecrow, the energy charged into it giving a powerful slash at the masked man.

====

Abigail's form was more than halfway changed by the time it happened.

Something within her finally snapped free; something within her was now loose and running wild.  The dark, twisted hunger that drove her desire; the craving to be the best at everything; the psychological need that drove her to prove her superiority over everyone and everything.  She would be Alpha, she would not be denied what she was due; no matter what, she would get everything she wanted and then some.

There was no thought to it; only the emotion driving it to exist.  She wasn't going to let anything stand in her way; not even Nothing.

There was a flash of red, almost as if something had been cut and had spurt blood.  Then, the fully transformed wolf loosed out a deafening howl of rage and defiance.  But she wasn't done yet; still thrashing about in her rage at the non-existent attackers that she couldn't touch, she felt that desire drawing her attention toward something.  Something that she knew wasn't part of her before this, something that she could used to fight back.

The wolf inhaled deeply through her snout, then blasted out a howl so powerful that it actually distorted the air around the sound waves.  The howl hit against a wall, and the stone was blasted apart with violent force; the she wolf was aware of it, thanks to the chemicals only affecting her so much, and something akin to a grin was seen on her muzzle.

She inhaled again; then blasted out another howl in a sweeping arc, trying to hit everything that she could at once.

====

Crane just barely managed to dodge the Dream Mage's energy attack, spinning away from it with a move that appeared almost like dancing.  He was not so lucky with the were-wolf's sound wave attack, being knocked back by the sonic force.

But perhaps he could use the she-wolf's blind rage to his advantage.  She seemed to be attacking everything in sight, with any luck his other victim would be affected as well, leading to her having to defend herself.  If anything, it would at least aid his escape.  He had not predicted these two to be able to resist his toxin so well, and of course he was no match for whatever powers they had.

Scarecrow's thoughts were interrupted as there was a sort of whooshing sound behind him, and out of several small portals leapt tiny, black creatures with bright yellow eyes, who twitched and moved excitedly.  They lunged at the two Interferences, completely ignoring doctor Crane and swiping at them.

Another event he could use to his advantages.  Strange as they were, he could use these creatures to further distract the two.

So thinking, the Scarecrow immediately began running in the opposite direction.

====

Audrey had been about to slash at Crane one more time after he dodged her attack. More energy was being charged into her sword for another powerful slash; she was almost ready to finish him off right here and now...if she could, anyway. She was still in denial over...

Her thoughts had come to a stop, and she wouldn't be able to deliver the blow. The creatures that appeared lunged at them, her slash instead given to the first one coming at her. Now, since she was still in the hallucination, Audrey saw these creatures not as the Shadow Heartless. They were bug-like, yes, but they were also flesh-bound, bloody and muscles exposed, with blood-shot eyes and sharp teeth and claws ready to cut into her flesh.

While she was surrounded by these horrific creatures, the Dream Mage also saw that the Scarecrow was making his escape. She tried to go after him, but another lunge from a monster had stopped her. Audrey turned and slashed into it, followed by the next one. Looks like she had to take care of these guys first before she could go after the villain.

====

The toxin was still effecting Abigail; though she occasionally heard a voice of reason reverberating around in her mind, the roar of whatever it was that had unlocked this new skill of hers wouldn't allow it to be heard.  She couldn't see the heartless, she couldn't see Scarecrow running away or the other girl fighting the dark insects.

But she could feel them.

Claws dug into her, the hallucinations blinding her to their source and only allowing her to feel the pain they dealt and the wounds they left.  She whirled about; occasionally feeling herself hitting some of them, but there was always more for everyone that she hit.  She didn't know how many of them were even real anymore; she didn't know what real [i]was[/i] anymore.  All she knew was that everything she did was only being answered in kind for each blow.

She inhaled, then let out yet another sweeping howl in desperation; she didn't know what she was doing any longer, all she knew was that she had to try and fight whatever this was, that was all she had left.

====

The Heartless were knocked back by the she-wolf's howl, most of them disappearing in puffs of darkness as they were hit, including the ones attacking Audrey.

Meanwhile, Crane was still attempting his escape, sprinting through the hole in the wall before him into the small forest.  He knew the toxin was close to wearing off, and if he didn't escape soon, the two would be back to their senses and he would have two super-powered and most likely [i]very [/i]angry people attempting to attack him.

====

Hearing the howl this time made the Dream Mage wince and bring one hand over her ear. However, at the same time, she felt her senses coming to from the hallucination. The creatures around her flickered from the monsters she was seeing, to the Shadows that they were. The blood and bodies also disappeared temporarily, bringing her back to the orange-tinted town before it reverted back to the horror in her eyes.

While confused at first, she knew what this meant. The effects from the toxin were starting to wear off. She decided to take advantage of the situation, though didn't chase after the villain. Instead, she took out a Shineball and threw it out, releasing one of the Heartless Legendaries she inherited from the fallen Jason Simmons. In particular, the Heartless Articuno, Ice Dove. Thankfully, the horror temporarily flickered away that moment, so she didn't see one of her faithful Pokemon as anything different at the moment.

"Go after the masked man!" Audrey ordered, pointing in the possible direction Scarecrow had run to. The Heartless avian nodded and flew off, while her trainer went to take care of the rest of the Shadows.

====

Colors and forms twisted and shifted, bending in ways that even Abigail's fractured mind struggled to make its version of sense of.  The toxin's effect on her mind was losing its grip, but this transitional period was making even less sense than the actual madness it granted; flashes, less than a mere moment of clarity each time, the real and the non mixing in ways that defied logic.

But those moments were growing longer; she could now fight back, she could hit things that were attacking her, she could finally fight.  Then, in one moment, she could finally see; and she could see the other female running after something that flitted around the crack in the wall.

Insane, Abigail most definitely was; but she was also fairly intelligent.  She could tell what that thing was, could tell that it was most likely the person responsible for that horror she had been trapped in.  The wolf actually roared, then took off at a speed that could have probably overtaken slow moving cars.

She was not going to let him get away, not after the indignation she'd suffered at his hands.  He would learn what it was to cross an alpha.

====

Scarecrow weaved in and out of the trees, hoping to at least confuse them momentarily.  It may have worked, but only for a very short while.  Of course, his speed was nothing to sneeze at either.  He had much experience running away, especially from certain caped vigilantes.

Eventually, he made it into a small clearing in front of the mansion he had seen before.  Crane had been hoping to lose them in aforementioned mansion, but that would be impossible so close.

It appeared he would have to fight.

The psychiatrist pulled out a large scythe, one that was quite dangerous.  As he did this, a few more of the black creatures appeared in front of him.  Three Shadows and a Soldier to the knowledgeable Interference.  Again, they did not attack Scarecrow, instead focusing on the wolf.  Of course, that left the gigantic bird chasing him, which he was certain the small creatures could not reach.

If only he had a route of escape, but he had none.  With any luck, he would be able to kill his pursuers here, and find his own way.

====

Unfortunately for Scarecrow, and the Heartless that accompanied him, Ice Dove had already caught up to them. Seeing as how she had flown above the trees, she was likely to lose the Batman villain this way. Once the Articuno caught up, she swooped down, flew around Crane and the Heartless, and breathed her icy breath at the ground around them. Solid ice walls had formed around the villain and the dark creatures, reaching high enough to ensure no escape. Only one slant was made for Abigail, high enough for her to leap over.

With that, the Heartless Articuno flew back to her trainer. She didn't have to go that far, as Audrey had ran into the forest at this point. Not only had she taken care of the last of the Shadows, but the toxin had worn off for her completely. As she saw Dove fly over, she whistled for her attention.

"Take me to him if you got him!"

With that command, the Articuno dove down to the girl, tilting just a bit to let her climb to her back. Audrey did so, running over and jumping on to mount the ice-elemental bird. Ice Dove took off back to the air, flying back to the area where the apparent battle against Scarecrow took place. It was only until they were high above the ice ring that was formed that the Dream Mage actually jumped right off the Articuno and plummeted down towards the arena. Her glaive was held high over her head, ready to bring it down on the Scarecrow once she reached his vicinity.

====

Abigail's massive wolf form squeezed through the opening in the wall that led to the forest; earning a few cuts on her lupine body thanks to the fact that she was just a hair too big for it.  But she paid no heed to the pain; as a wolf, the forest was her element, she weaved in and out of trees with nearly the same ease as Scarecrow in spite of the scale difference between the two of them.

She continued on, running at the ice barrier and scaling it on the short part with a wall jump of shorts.  She landed on several of the Heartless, crushing them then and there, then swiped at some of the others that dared to jump at her.  Though most of the others were still around, she was now focused on the man across from her; the scythe in his hand failed to intimidate her in the least, and the wolf leaped at Scarecrow with gnashing teeth.

====

Surrounded, and with most of his weak defenders destroyed, the Scarecrow was out of options.  He had almost managed to dodge the girls' overhead slash, but it had clipped his arm.  Blood was dripping from the wound, and it was painful enough to make it almost useless.  He still managed to hold his scythe up with the other arm, though.  Crane had enough sense to know that there was no way he could win against both of these people.

He wasn't scared in the slightest, of course.  However, that didn't stop him from having a sense of self-preservation.

He was wondering if he would at least be able to deal a fatal wound to the she-wolf before being taken down.  He did have more reach with his weapon...

There was a 'whooshing' sound from just behind the Batman villain, and he glanced over his shoulder to see another of those dark portals.  If such a portal had saved him once, it was only logical to think that it would do so again.  Scarecrow backed towards it slowly, still holding up the weapon with his good arm, and delivered a last message.

"I am afraid we'll have to continue another time, when you won't be in such an... aware state of mind.  Good-bye!"

He backed fully into the portal, which closed in on itself when he had disappeared.  The only remnant of his existence here was the echoes of chilling laughter.

====

Audrey glared at the spot in which Scarecrow had escaped. She was almost surprised to see a dark portal open behind him, and would have tried to stop him if she had enough time. However, that wasn't the case, as he had already gone through before she could stop him. The laughter that rang out brought a shiver down her spine, but she otherwise ignored it. She was more annoyed at the fact that there was another villain running around, even if it was someone she once thought was a cool one.

Oh well. There were plenty of other Interferences to take care of him, provided they fought back against his hallucinations. She had a good feeling that they would.

[color=white][i]"Man, I tried callin' ya, but you couldn't respond!"[/color][/i] At least Inari was still there. [color=white][i]"That's some cheap trick there, blocking me out while I'm trying to snap you out of it!"[/color][/i]

Audrey sighed, but gave a small smile regardless. [i]'I'm okay now, In. I doubt Scarecrow's gonna be getting far around here, either.'

[color=white]"Well, you never know for sure. Let's just go let the townsfolk that he's gone for now, then head back and rest."[/color][/i]

With a nod, Audrey dismissed her sword and turned just as Ice Dove landed by her side. She was about to hop on and have her fly them off, when she remembered the ice ring the Articuno formed. Sighing, she brought out another Shineball and threw it out, releasing the Heartless Moltres, Flaming Gull. With a command to melt the ice, she had done so, breathing blood red flames that got rid of the ring quickly.

That done, the Dream Mage now hopped onto the Heartless Articuno's back, not looking back once at Abigail. Even if they had shared the same target, she really doubted they were on the same side. Plus, she wasn't about to pass on concerns to someone who threatened to gut her. Ice Dove then took off, Flaming Gull tailing her, making their way back to the town.

====

Abigail crashed into the wall of ice just as Scarecrow vanished into the portal.  Shards flew from the impact- large ones at that- and she staggered back in pain.

Whatever had just happened, she had gotten the short end of the stick; at least she was now mostly aware of her surroundings.  The impact had silenced the voice of her feral side, or at least lowered it so that her own thoughts could more effectively drown it out.  By the time that she was in complete control of her wolf form again, the ice had been melted and that other girl was being carried away on some sort of bird that gave her the same vibe as the Heartless.

She was still annoyed that Scarecrow had escaped, but she was thinking clearly again (or whatever passed as it for her anyway) and knew that she could find him again if she had to.  However, there was still one issue: She had yet to gain control over the way to end her transformation prematurely.  As embarrassing as it was for her to admit, she was stuck like this until the time on it expired.

Sighing through her snout, the massive, black wolf padded over to the 'porch' area of the mansion.  Though just barely able to fit through the door at the front, she lacked the means to open it without outright breaking it down; and her head hurt enough without trying that.  Instead, she just curled up and waited; the magic would wear off eventually, and she'd look for a save point within.

After that, she'd find somewhere to let of some of her pent up aggression.  After that, she could use a real fight.