Swiftcurrent Creek an occupation popular with demons and ducks

in a moment of divine intervention orchestrated by the gods of chaos, plan B miraculously yielded to plan A as Rhakios crouched to re-collect the artifact. 

Tiercel had the advantage of bracing for the collision but she didn’t anticipate that their newfound connection would be concussed and appended to a splitting headache. the consummation of her stampede was met with a thwap. grunting, Tiercel rebounded off his face like a bouncy ball hurled at a wall, reeling backwards without much command over the direction whereupon her legs stumbled as she twirled and then fell to the ground. the rock was all but forgotten. actually, most things were. her name, fish, mother dear, her social security number. for the ensuing moments, the only thing she knew was stars.  

and she wasn’t granted much of an opportunity to gain bearings either. before she could even recollect her footing, the boy swooped overtop her and sank his teeth into her scruff with unmufflered force—okay, she could see why Wylla found the sensation problematic. while one could reasonably cull from prior actions that the girl was basically spoiling for a fight, in her current situation, Tiercel was very much in favor of harmony. 

she yelped out in surprise and initially complied with her station, but it wasn’t long before his tense belligerence and her panic created a fulminant defense response in her. more or less hog-tied by the grip Rhakios had on her, with an angry growl she pancaked against the ground and then thrashed like a shark, rolling with mighty effort to her back and seeking to club him with a Thumper-like drub of her back legs. hang off, thou cat, thou bur! vile thing, let loose; or i will shake thee from me like a serpent, thou egg—small fry of treachery!