small doesn't mean weak

Her little tootsies pummeled his throat good. With a grunt, Dag released the hold he had on her neck and she had freed herself. "Ah well, you fight like the little scrappy cat you are," he agreed fondly, shaking off his thick coat. "I think I underestimated you, dwarf." It was a hearty viking's compliment. He gave her a smile and butted his larger head against his shoulder companionably. They had both put their all into the fight - or so he thought.

Making a mental note to try and take sparring a bit more seriously in the future, Dag pricked his ears and took stock of their surroundings. "Unless you're feelin' like another go, why don't we head back to camp?" Valkyrie had wrangled a surprising number of captives, and they would all need tending to before market day. Without pausing to see if Dutch would follow, Dag ambled off in the direction of the Hjarraandi.