Sun Mote Copse I've been swimming from the Wallace

This could potentially go completely off the rails. If Fennec shrugged, and simply declined the invitation to spar, Niamh wouldn't have known what to do with herself. Fortunately, something seemed to click, and Fennec stepped up to the plate. Niamh swished her tail from side to side and lowered her head with the eagerness of a hunter readying herself to strike. She didn't know what pleased her more- seeing just how game Fennec was to spar, or the thought that very soon she might be able to pin the kid down and assert her dominance. This looked, to the proud Regent, like it would be a win-win. 

And pausing everything for a moment- she pondered if she should hold back. When she'd sparred with Bronco, without holding back, she'd made him wet himself and run away with his tail tucked. Was that the sort of aggression Fennec wanted? It was what she was asking for, at least; so it was what she would get. 

"Finally," Her expression came with a satisfied sigh and a throaty chuckle. "Someone who's actually fucking worthy of my time." She meant to imply not only Bronco, but the others she'd sparred with, few of whom had asked for her to go full out. Obviously, she would not kill the young woman, but she would give her the satisfaction of knowing that Niamh took her seriously. All compliments aside, and having followed the girl out of the garden patch so that the remaining plants weren't too badly trampled, she snarled, snapping her jaws together once to signal that she was ready- but she wouldn't wait for a response. She wasn't to treat Fennec like she was just in training anymore. Fennec, now, would have to face what might hit her should she ever trespass, or meet a violent trespasser. 

As she no longer felt the obligation to keep Fennec in training mode, she would drop the habit of using heavy pawsteps to make sure that Fennec learned to use her ears to tell where her attacker was coming from. She silently wove her way in one direction, and then another, to gain another inch or two, though those tall, keen ears would be a hefty aid in battle. Niamh was light on her feet, but could never possibly be quiet enough to sneak around Fennec when she was this close to her. Her attack was quiet, contemplated and targeted- and she felt less obligation to rush in and risk missing Fennec altogether knowing the nimble girl might easily side-step. 

With the sudden ferocity of a flash of lightning, Niamh lunged for Fennec's hindquarters with a sudden snarl- but intended the move to be a misdirection. She pivoted, bunching her hindquarters beneath her and dug her claws into the ground to shove herself at the last moment as she veered instead, with jaws wide and snapping, aiming to snap at Fennec's shoulder.