The Heartwood busted teeth

Akantha winced when his claws dug into her already brutalized skin and peeling open the establish wounds even wider. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. Her face was a stone mask, while her eyes continued to flicker across his features, waiting and ready for what was to come. If he chose death, she was prepared to accept it with open arms. If he released her, well, she knew the way home and how to throw off his trail should he try and follow.

But when he bit down hard, Akantha cried out in pain. She bucked beneath him and he released her, but not without leaving more marks upon her skin. She struggled to stand, her legs shook, but she did. Blood soaked the snow beneath where she'd fallen, and continued to drip down her legs. She sucked in a breath and looked up, eyes boring holes right through him. The smell of blood, her blood, served as a muzzle to her fury. "Not if I kill you first." She promised.

The Matriarch, beaten and bloodied, turned tail and fled back into the woods leaving a trail of blood droplets behind her.