The Heartwood The fall

He managed to grab her, his jaws clamping around her muzzle. He did not apply enough pressure to break the skin. Peregrine didn't want to injure her, just force her to submit and back away from what belonged to him. With a growling grunt, he pressed her down toward the ground, his tail inching up to declare his dominance over the belligerent Bindi.

Without warning, a bolt of pain shot from the rear of his skull and popped behind his left eye. Peregrine let go of Bindi as he emitted a noise somewhere between a snarl and a cry of pain. The sensation repeated a second time, like someone driving a knife into his eye socket, and he swooned. He began to fall right on top of his opponent, possibly crushing her to the earth as he went down.