all things to dust return but you keep on

She kept up the dance, but it made defense difficult. Her guard could only be so good for so long, and Hazel made her misstep. The Warlord's teeth found purchase, catching the thick ruff of her neck. Hazel couldn't reach him properly to retaliate. She'd overcompensated for the weakness in her left side. A new weakness, and she still had things to learn. Hazel was still learning, still growing, and still healing-- in more ways than one. Maybe a bit more exercise on her still-healing muscles would be helpful too. Though it had been nearly a year now, she'd been down for so long.

Hazel slammed into the ground, panting. There was still fight in her, but the searing pain radiating through her neck and shoulder was enough to keep her down. "I yield," she wheezed, gritting her teeth. After steadying herself for a moment, the girl hauled herself back to her feet. "I'm sorry." The words were soft, her breath catching up to her. She'd failed, and Hazel couldn't help but feel like she'd failed Sirius too.
"Speech"