Ouroboros Spine I had a violin somewhere, I was gonna play it all sarcastically

Another step closer. He was treading dangerous waters here. He knew it. He knew it and yet he lingered, making no movement, nor indication of her advance as he watched her once more assert herself to reclaim the situation. Kero stared back, his gaze lifting to catch her own. Defiant where all these times before he'd played the passive role. 

There was a part of him that wished to provoke her further. To test her strength against his own. He'd seen her battle once before. He'd watched her dance of daggers and found challenge within her that taunted and teased all within him that was not truly submissive. He humbled himself within reason; within measure he understood and found plausible cause to agree with. But in this?

Her words cracked across the air. She did not pick. No. She'd leave it to the power-hungry meatheads to throw their weight around and determine the outcome for her. She did not pick. No. She left their fate to chance and circumstance. She did not pick. "Of course. It's far easier to let others decide for you. Leaves your paws clean."

She lunged, reaching out to snag his nose. Kero jerked his head aside, escaping her teeth as he turned back with a snarl. He made no move to snap at her, but he was not about to submit to something he could not agree with. He would not roll over and humiliate himself for something he considered a mistake. 

He turned to leave.