a shield for a soul

Bylgja wondered if he felt the same sense of appreciation at the fight as she did. Maybe he did -- the kid seemed to have a fighter's spirit, at least, which was uplifting to say the least. The woman huff-laughed against his tail as he was jerked to a stop, skidding with the force of momentum. Huh. Maybe that hurt more than she thought it had. But she wasn't sure.

When the kid spun around, Bylgja did indeed release him, but the noise she made as spur contacted her cheek was not an angry snarl. It was, instead, a whooping cry of satisfaction at having discovered yet another strange thing about her opponent. Her tail wagged, but the wagging tail didn't stop her motion. Bylgja lunged forward to try and catch the boy by his back right leg before he could sprint away, relying on his own motion once again. Sure, he'd scored a hit, but Bylgja figured she could at least snap her jaws down on his leg and toss him over on his back in the snow.

"Bylgja"