OCT Round 1 - P3

Tobias spun to see Phasma’s fist remaining where Silver Wolf’s head had once be. Certainly not anywhere near being Alex now, but in the full hero-zone, Silver Wolf rubbed her chin and tried not to wince. Why had she not even seen that coming?!
“Phasma, what are you-?” Tobias was cut off by Luna issuing a rumbling growl deep from the recesses of her throat and making a leap at Phasma’s arm, teeth opening to meet his wrist. Wanting to prevent any conflict, Tobias wrapped his arms in a vice-like grip around the wolf’s legs and dug his heels into the sand. Heaving the wolf back was not easy. Luckily for the boy, Luna had not suspected her usual comrade’s interference and hesitated, giving him the chance to gain purchase,
“Luna, come on, we can’t-“

Both of them looked up sharply when a crack cut through the air from behind them, paused in their awkward half-wrestle to crane their necks behind them, Luna’s ears darting upright inquisitively. Tobias saw the line of spittle falling to the hot sand before he registered Phasma’s head shooting back, leading the rest of his body down to collapse back onto the sand. Tobias had completely forgotten they’d been fighting too. Still somehow looking like a grade-A superhero in her pyjamas, Silver Wolf brushed off her lip with a huff, eyes narrowed quietly at Phasma who lay sprawled on the ground. Like an insect he was barely worth paying mind to in his current state. The female hero looked to Tobias as the boy realised he had to start acting like a hero, like Providence; he didn’t want anyone hurt, certainly not his friends. He brushed himself off and tried to man up. The sand itched in his clothing. About to speak, he paused, he winced.

The air still felt frantic, hectic – far too overwhelming. Luna’s ears were pressed to her head and Silver Wolf seemed to be uncomfortable. It took Providence a moment more before he realised that the sounds of their fight echoed around them loudly. Mixed in with the sound of crunching jaws and wolfish howls was an undercurrent of laughter and the wind picked up around them, blowing sand under Tobias’ arms, through Silver Wolf’s blonde hair. The three watched with wide eyes as it swirled upwards, as if they were in the centre of a cyclone, and above them the swirling lilac that was the sky parted to reveal a pair of giant green eyes looking down at them.

Providence’s stomach dropped. They were in a little snowglobe. Insignificant.

Grimacing, grabbed Luna’s tail and yanked her back from where the edges of the cyclone threatened to lift her from the ground, yelling an apology over the increasing wind. This thing was messing with them – this Canvas thing was messing with them. This had to be a dream. He had to wake up. Wake up he willed himself, but it did nothing to change this situation.
The noise was interrupted by a sudden stillness from Silver Wolf, who tilted her head a moment, blinked, and spun. Too late. Phasma grabbed her roughly by the hair, teeth gritted angrily, saying something that was lost to the stinging hurricane of sand around them. Lighter than the others, Providence’s eyes widened as the eye of the storm got close and closer, tugging at his shoulders and lifting him from the ground slightly. In the same moment that Phasma used the leverage of Silver Wolf’s hair to yank her hair back into his left knee, Luna darted forwards and knocked him off of his feet, dragging the other two down with her.
Scrabbling desperately as he lifted a little more, shouting a warning to the others, Providence clutched at air until he felt something soft. Twisting his fingers deep into Luna’s fur, eliciting a surprise yelp from the wolf, he clung on for dear life as Silver Wolf twisted to face Phasma, lip bleeding freely and head-pounding. Staying strong.

Unluckily for her the wind was on Phasma’s side, his back to the approaching walls of the sand cyclone. The female super heroes turned to face blinding sand and she reflexively put a hand to her eyes to cancel out the stabbing pain. Seizing the opportunity, Phasma caught the sound of Providence’s warning in the wind and blinked. Acting on instinct, an instinct to protect the kid and of self-preservation, of fear, the thief spun and shoved his opponent into the wall that now plucked at his back.
Luna howled in rage, calling Silver Wolf by ‘Alex’ and crawling forward against the wind and the pull of Providence clinging to her foot, leaping forward. Instead of landing, however, the wind kept them aloft, sucking them higher, towards the glowing green of those watchful eyes. Providence shrieked and Phasma spun, grabbing him by the scruff and yanking him back. The boy stared as Luna’s silky fur came loose from his fingers.

Now lighter, the duo could only watch as the wolf shot upwards, along with a glimpse of blonde hair, before their view was obscured by sand. A haze of limbs gripping each other for dear life. Stinging. Sand. Swirls of lilac. Sand. Glowing green. Howling wind. Sand.

It took a few minutes for Providence to realise all had gone still. Slowly peering his eyes open, Phasma and he sat in a crouch, the older male having instinctively put his arms over the smaller person and shut his eyes. Phasma blinked at the kid before standing up abruptly and brushing himself off as nonchalantly as he could muster, not making eye contact,
“Nice work with that wolf. You yanked her right into the sandstorm,” he offered, trying to be comforting, but Providence stared at where his friends had been and felt ready to throw up all over the sand. He hadn’t meant to...

Any other regret, any other wondering or speculation was cut short by a swirling dizziness, a falling sensation that seemed to suck the two back and down through the sand. Down, down down-
Bolting upright in bed, Tobias stared at the air in alarm. A cold sweat peppered his brow,
"Oh god."