all things to dust return but you keep on

The paw caught her, not quite in the head but at the point where her chest became her shoulder. A soft oof, but her guard was stronger on this side. She staggered for a moment, feeling her balance slip. A stumble, but Hazel wouldn't fall. It took a beat for her to re-orient, and she knew that her chest and shoulder would be sore tomorrow. Hazel grumbled deep in her chest, orienting herself.

Beneath her, Hazel's claws dug into the soft earth. She used the leverage to force herself forward, moving as fast and as hard as she could manage. Her teeth gnashed and snapped in the air around her, near wildly. Not pretty, but it suited her. Forward and into the Warlord, but where? Who was to say. Snapping and pressing forward for a heartbeat, and then dodging backwards. A delicate dance, but Hazel knew. She knew she was better off keeping him at a distance and getting in the shots she could make. Unrefined, but sharp and practiced all the same. A conundrum but then, so was Hazel.

"Speech"