Igniting Sparks

Chapter 25.

Edited by KitWulf                               05-12-2020

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Azura lowered her belly to the ground in a low crouch as Nathan started his charge towards her. Her instincts were yelling at her that this was all wrong, that he was not acting anything like a true wild cat. She growled at him in warning but as he showed no signs of slowing, she braced herself for the inevitable. Whatever happened, she knew she couldn't allow him to hit her; his gigantic size and obvious heavier weight would give him a big advantage if he managed to pin her, and that was something she would avoid at all costs.

A dangerous hiss escaped between her teeth as she bared them. It was a clear warning signal for him to stop which he blatantly ignored. Right as he was about to crash into her, Azura leapt out of the way and to the side. So close, he couldn't fully react, he only managed to swipe one large paw at her before he crashed into the rock wall. Azura quickly darted out of the way, fur puffed up to make her look bigger, but Nathan recovered faster than she'd hoped and came at her again. Her instincts were confused by his reckless charging at her and she only reacted by jumping out of the way over and over.

She didn't retaliate. Every time he came for her, she avoided him almost like a dance. She warned him over and over, growling and hissing at him while baring her teeth as a wolf would. She could see his frustration building the more she avoided attacking him. Being smaller made her more agile, one of the few advantages she held over him and one she exploited repeatedly.

A loud deep rumble filled the valley they were in as Nathan vented his frustrations. A shiver ran down her spine at the obvious display of dominance from the larger male snow leopard. Her deepest instincts told her to run, while her more human ones urged her to put him in his place. She was a blue-eyed snow leopard! Considered dangerous and feral, why not prove them right for a change?

Enough avoiding. He's a tough one. The voice came into her head. A welcome flash of heat followed as the Phoenix showed her a sliver of its powers. Don't let your guard down but attack.

Knowing the voice was right, Azura allowed it in. It was with her, it was her, it could make her fly. Its power flowed through her, heightening her senses, and seemingly slowed time down for just a moment. Azura eyed the big male as he spun around after his last futile charge at her. She could hear the snow crunch under his paws, watched his whiskers point forward towards her, saw the hatred that burned in his eyes.

Before he could launch another useless attack at her, she raised her head and did what she had picked up on while training with Nora and the rest of the werewolves. A sound so strange and unnatural left her throat it startled him. Close to a howl but laced with a cat's growl; it was one of the strangest sounds Azura could produce.

He hesitated, taken back by her unnatural stance and howl and that was her chance. It was her turn to attack. Azura launched herself forward, leaping from rock to rock, never going in a straight line, and avoided forming a pattern as she closed in on him at full speed. He tried to follow with his head, tried to figure out which way to go but knew he could not avoid her. His muscles tensed as he braced for impact as she was simply too fast for him to intercept.

At the last moment, she feinted to the right, forcing him to turn that way, exposing his side to her as she leapt and buried her teeth and claws into the scruff of his neck. The thick fur made it difficult to get a good grip as he toppled on his side with her on top. Her canines dug even deeper as she tried to slash at his exposed stomach with her hind legs. The metallic taste of warm blood filled her maw as she sunk home; her instincts kicked into overdrive as the need to kill took over her mind. It tasted so good, she wanted more and Azura bit even harder as she felt herself being dragged up as Nathan got back to his feet. He had let out a small yelp of pain when she had bitten down but that changed to a ferocious grown as he shook his whole body trying to get her off. It worked as she lost her grip and fell.