Perhaps one of the positive things about being so removed and anxious is that his roving eyes spotted Ember cutting through the crowd. His only mistake was in thinking she wasn't coming for him. By the time he registered it, she was within spitting distance and getting ready to launch at his legs. Katsu sucked in a steadying breath, the whites of his eyes gleaming as she dove. He stuttered-stepped backwards, trying to use his height to his advantage to skip over her as she sailed beneath him. The whole physicality of it struck him off balance and he wound up wind-milling his front legs to stay on his paws. Unfortunately, they caught on the massive sword that was sheathed at her hip and he wound up lurching back until he landed heavily into a seated position. He grunted with the impact and tried to regain his bearings quickly.
The noise of those clashing together all around them was more distracting than he'd anticipated, but he managed to find an opening. When she committed so fully to the dive, she left the area above her vulnerable. She may have been better equipped and certainly more studied, but aside from his sheer height, he'd always been bulky and well-muscled and he was finally coming into his own. He lurched forward from his seated position as quickly as he'd fallen into it and tried to maneuver himself on top of her, using his considerably heavier weight to pin her pelvis to the ground beneath him. If he succeeded, it'd be far more difficult for her to unsheathe the weapon or - or, well, to do anything at all, even if she could twist back and bite and nip and gnaw at his front legs if he succeeded. He'd endured the ice worm. He would endure Ember Carpathius.
Katsurō vs Ember for Dominance
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 yr
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Companion 1: Japanese Pheasant - flying
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Expert Hunter
