Ouroboros Spine digitalis horridus

time and time again, shikoba finds herself unveiling white daggers in order to pierce the skin of her enemy under the guise of self-righteousness to protect what is hers. her fights, even when the odds are stacked up against her, have always been fair; she has the scars to prove that she does not sneak away from combat nor cower in the face of danger. each and every time the woman has spilled blood, it has been a fair fight with an evenly or perhaps an overpowered enemy, like the hellcat.

yet in this moment where shikoba holds the boy between her teeth, the wild and vengeful look in her bright eyes dies down as a the heavy weight of guilt swells within her body. this is not the fair fight she imagined it would be. the boy has not leaped for her, he has not reached to snap or bite or even run. he is obedient and fearful as she shoves his face against the dirt they walk upon.

every fiber in the woman's body tells her that what she is doing is wrong. that she is taking advantage of the boy -- the fight is not a fair one. there is no honor behind killing the defenseless and weak. that is below shikoba. her growls end from her throat and she removes her paw from his face. heaving to catch her breath, she asks him a question as her grip loosens from his shoulder.

"why nuak run?" a near whisper. his choice forced this decision from her, this primal instinct to capture and end his life. yet, now she can't bring herself to. for the first time in a fight, shikoba second-guesses herself.