this is your kingdom; this is your crown

Thorn copied Tika’s ears going back but not for the same reason.  He was trying hard to focus, and the sense of determination, the tension building up as he waited for the moment he could make a move, seemed to demand those ears going back.  His tail was also out and even with his body but it also curved up and swayed back and forth with excitement.  

She lunged in towards him fast, at least it seemed fast for Thorn as his mind tried to still work out a solution for the problem of how to get to her throat when her neck was so much longer.  Thorn hadn’t figured out how to get to her nose first but the blue pup knew he needed to not let her touch his throat! For all it was a fun game to him, Thorn also desperately wanted to find a way to win.

Without thought other than ‘not the throat!’ Thorn kept his head tucked down to his chest and pivoted, avoiding the nose touch for now.  Thorn had spent several days running through the shallow surf, it only went up slightly above his feet but it added a bit more resistance when he ran, building up a bit more muscle and speed.  It had saved him from the first round but if he couldn’t figure out how to get to her neck it wouldn’t help him very long!  The boy kept his head tucked, for the moment keeping to defense.

"Thorn Carpathius"