<br/>Three shapes slowly made their way through the snow, moving with confidence and determination. When they stood fully revealed Ember couldn't help but gasp, her own reaction soon mirrored by Pylea. While there were no doubting their kinship with the Froglins these new creatures were something different all together. They had the same type of primitive and almost none existant clothes, and the same uniquely colored skin, but all similarities ended there. These three stood tall and strong, with broad shoulders and bulging muscles. Some of their teeth were long fangs and tusks, and with those strong looking jaws of theirs they probably could do terrible damage. They reminded Ember of colorful versions of those things from that Lords of the Ring movie, what were they called? Uruk something? She realized that might be the best clue to her past she had gotten so far. If she had seen that movie she'd had to have been abducted after it premiered, she doubted the Lords and Ladies of Arcadia would have shown her a movie from the mortal realm.<br/>She didn't have time to dwell on it, for now the Conan versions of the Froglins advanced. They moved with confident strides but took their time, these three wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating their foes. Two of them circled the group, moving into flanking positions. One was green and blue and carried a heavy club, the other was red and blue and carried a long, barbed spear. The one in the middle was black and yellow, holding a crude and nasty looking curved sword in some blackened, unknown metal in his right hand. In his left he held a long whip and he was coming right at them, showing no fear. A low growl originating somewhere deep in his throat seemed to challenge the three Changelings, daring them to make a move. He got his wish.<br/><br/>-----------------------------------<br/><br/>Pylea was terrified, petrified even. When they first got attacked she had only one thing on her mind: protect Ember. The girl was new to this world and hadn't even mastered the simplest of Contracts. She had done a pretty good job at first and had felt rather proud of herself. But then her fire had faltered, and her courage with it. But to her surprise Ember had stepped up, and just like that their roles had been reversed. Pylea had thought her frail, in need of protection. Look at her now. Even with her hands still tied behind her back she was fighting, kicking and screaming. Not looking very frail now, was she? Heart of a lion, that one.<br/>She couldn't take her eyes of the three new arrivals. She felt mesmerised, like a deer caught in headlights. She was scared, of course, but she also had to admit she found them rather hot in a terrifying kind of way. It was strange what she found hot after her change. Let's just say she wasn't limited to the human norm anymore.<br/>Pylea felt her stomach turn to ice as the Hanni-Bull took the bait. There were no doubt it was him, but he seemed so full of rage. He must have used a Contract to enhance his animal side, but he couldn't have done it right. You weren't supposed to lose your intellect or human reasoning, Pylea was sure of it. She had never thought of Hannibal as anything other than a friend. Like so many other she seemed to fall for the classic bad boy types, and Hannibal was almost painfully nice. But had she known he had this in him she might have been forced to reevaluate him.<br/>Hannibal bellowed as he charged, the sound echoing over the frozen landscape. It looked like Hanni would simply smash through anything that stood in his way, but Pylea couldn't shake the feeling that this was what the three über-froglins had wanted all along. The way the one with the sword and whip just calmly stood there, not even going into a defensive stance, it didn't feel right. He didn't seem scared in the least by the massive bull, if anything he seemed eager. Pylea felt sick.<br/>Moving with inhuman speed the one with the spear threw himself into the path of Hannibal. The flanking maneuvers had been a feint, they had wanted him to attack head on and had moved far enough from eachother that it seemed impossible they'd be able to reach eachother in time to be able to offer any help. How could anyone have known they'd be so fast?<br/>Hannibal impaled himself on the spear, unable to halt in time. He was almost lifted of the ground, but then the spear snapped under his weight, leaving the frog holding one half, the other half lodged in Hani's body. Pylea could see the tip of the spear sticking out of his back, she was pretty sure it had pierced a lung. But Hannibal was still moving, the momentum of his charge carrying him forward. Bellowing like a big, wounded animal he struck the one that had wounded him as he barrelled past him. The Froglin was hurled to the ground and to Pylea's satisfaction he seemed to have broken at least a couple of ribs. Hannibal might be badly hurt but he wasn't down, he was still rapidly closing the distance to the lead frog. He might still have a chance, at least in Pylea's mind. But she saw her hopes cruelly shattered almost immediately. The one with the club ducked under Hanni's guard and delivered a crushing blow to his unharmed side, breaking a few ribs in retaliation for his hurt comrade.<br/>Hannibal staggered and stumbled forward, his charge reduced to a slow, painful walk. It was painful to see the ease in which the leader side stepped Hannibal's clumsy attack. The black and yellow über Froglin raised his sword as Hanni passed him and with a sickening crunch he sunk it into the bull's skull, finally bringing down the mighty beast. The earth shook as Hannibal fell, and Pylea heard someone howl in heart rending grief. It took her several seconds for her to realize it was her.