tussle in the wind

Tenshi seemed agreeable enough, though if she'd declined he wouldn't have forced her. Not with word or iron paw. Taking a moment to roll out his shoulders, he flexed his toes against the leaf littered ground and breathed deep. There was no time like the present and if Tenshi was willing to let him go first then he saw no reason to deny her. Deciding against using his teeth, Hattori was direct in his attack. Swift and certain, not a modicum of hesitation as he charged in and lashed out with a hindlimb, kicking out at her front left paw. Not quite as dramatic or fanciful as Usagi's kicks, but a good warrior was constantly learning, adapting as he went.

But it was easier said than done to ignore the howling wind, distracting like something poking his ears, demanding they flick forward and pay attention. Was the rustling of the trees a result of something or someone intruding? Or just the wind alone. The uncertainty of it was like a thorn in his side, something he truly had to push to ignore, to shove it aside when his focus should be on Tenshi and how she was going to react. He knew mountain wolves were better fighters than most, had made Iga work for their conquest but fallen all the same in the end. Would she continue their legacy, or would it fall flat at her paws? The sad end to an even sadder story.