Sides of a Mirror

39- Just About To Snap

Libra was about to open his mouth when his common sense kicked in and he snapped it shut. Scorpio was staring at the door, smiling. He whispered something to Aries, who raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Moments later, the axe came crashing down into the doorframe and it splintered into a million pieces. Just outside was a not so surprised Serpens, glaring at them with distaste. He scoffed and turned to them, knife now sheathed in his belt.
"So what? You can get through a door. Anything else I should give you the job to do?" His tone was ridiculing, mocking. Libra swallowed hard as both Aries and Scorpio gave him deathly glares. Serpens raised his hand, curling his fingers upwards, and a wall of black rose in front of them. When it dissipated, they could barely see the figure of Serpens already a ways down the corridor.
"Coward." Aries growled. Libra could tell she wasn't quite angry and more annoyed. After all, she, her brother, her cousin, and her friends had all been kidnapped and she didn't really fancy that.
Scorpio hissed, a flash of light appeared and the form of a sleek black panther with it. It stalked impossibility quick down the hallway, occasionally stopping to scent the air. Scorpio stopped, tail raised high in the air to signal a halt, and changed back to human.
After turning a corner, Scorpio screamed and vanished from sight, another yelp coming from the other's blind spot. They all ran around the corner to find him wrestling with Serpens, rolling on the ground. Unfortunately for both of them, there was a (very large and possibly deep) pit of flames right under the ledge they were fighting on.
Somehow sensing the heat from the flames below, Scorpio shot to his feet and began backing towards the pit. Libra and the others knew he was attempting to lure Serpens into the flames, but that it was still dangerous if that went wrong.
Unfortunately again, Serpens noticed and immediately caught on to the scheme. At the last moment, he kicked his foot out and grabbed Scorpio's arm as he fell, dangling him over the dancing flames. Libra bit back a scream, bile rising slowly in his throat as he watched his friend teetering on the cliff's edge. Serpens turned his head towards Libra, grinning. Quick as a flash, he flung Scorpio to the side, eliciting a loud cry as he hit wall, then snapped his fingers, summoning tendrils of black mist to entrap the others.
One coiled its way towards Libra, and he shrieked, backing away. This effort was to no avail, however, as it wrapped around his ankle and dragged him towards the fire pit, kicking and screeching. The tendril slithered across the floor, Serpens ignoring the shouts and threats of the others as it slowly carried Libra to the gaping space.
Libra shrieked in terror as he hung just above the flames. The bile in the back of his throat creeping upwards faster and faster, panic taken with it. The tendril started to slip from his ankle, getting continuously looser.
His ankle was released from the tendril's grip, he screamed-

Leo smashed into the tendril, knocking Libra from its grip. He shrieked as he began to fall towards the flaming void, Leo shot her hand out to catch him. Her fingers interlocked with his, and she pulled him upwards at a painstakingly slow rate.
She failed to see Serpens creeping up behind her as she sat panting on the ledge, Libra shivering in her arms.
A kick to her back, screams, shouts, then falling, falling, falling...
Not a scratch. Leo stood up, staring at herself in shock. The flames licked at her skin, leaving a warm, tingling feeling as they seemed to rub affectionately against her arms. Closing her eyes, Leo allowed the fire to rush over her. When she opened her eyes moments later, they burned a bright gold, and their pupils were shaped like silhouettes of tiny suns. Leo flicked her hand and instantly she was digging her claws into the cliff face, reaching for chinks in the rock she could grip. Quickly, she pulled herself up the ledge, tail lashing and teeth bared. Growling, she launched herself at Serpens, claws flashing and paws flying as she attempted to tear at his flesh. A flash of gold caught her gaze, and she saw the hissing form of Libra's fox snapping at Serpens' face. The man squirmed under her powerful paws, trying to wrench his blade free from its sheathe. He cried out in frustration, pushing against Leo's grip. She growled, head lowering to his ear. He flinched as she hissed into it, words forming on her rough pink tongue.
"Now you will know what to expect when you mess with me..." She snapped her jaws, and he let out a strangled noise. Libra was still nipping at his ears, finally getting fed up with it. His eyes glowed, flashing pale gold, and a thin tendril of the same colored light wrapped itself around Serpens' neck. Serpens clawed at his throat, trying to loosen the rope that was slowly crushing his windpipe.
Libra's eyes flashed again and the tendril pulled Serpens upward, looping its other end around a glowing bar on the ceiling that certainly hadn't been there before. Serpens thrashed, still trying to unfasten the rope around his neck. Libra fluttered his way up to Serpens, pale golden eyes blinking innocently as he made the rope grow tighter and tighter, slowly restricting the man's air supply. Serpens wheezed, his struggles getting weaker the tighter the tendril was pulled.
A scaly head nudged Libra's shoulder. Gemini let out a soft hiss, shaking her head to let him know he should back off. Libra growled but complied, flicking his paw.
The tendril unravelled itself, Serpens crumpling on the ground and gasping. Leo had become... Almost human. She wasn't a lioness anymore, but still retained pointed gold ears and a thin gold tail ending in a tuft of flame colored hair, also, her eyes were still the same. When Libra reverted, he also kept his ears and tail, but his ears were a reddish gold and his same colored tail was bushy and long. The pale gold of his eyes failed to hide the bubbling rage in his belly, and he was still growling at Serpens.
Gemini flew downwards, her form now humanoid. Still, silver white tipped wings and a half black half white tail could be seen on her body. She smiled, and two long silvery white fangs glinted in the light of the flames below. Not to mention her pupils were like slits, thin and ovular.
"Calm down, Libra. I don't think he's awake right now..." Libra looked at her with a pointed gaze, but ceased his growling anyway. Leo walked up to him.
"Come on, darling. Let's get out of here." He nodded, Leo smiling to reveal pearly white fangs. They walked down the corridor, shrieks resounding a few moments later.
"Well," Gemini sighed, mostly to herself than anyone else, "might as well follow them."

Sorry about the slow updates! I was giving descriptions to my friend so she could draw the characters in half-form. Half-form is when they are humanoid, but have animal features like a tail and ears. They also have special outfits in half-form, but those are described in Chapter 27, I believe.
Hope you're having fun with the story, darlings! Adieu!