Ouroboros Spine the first death is in the heart

Tulukiri huffed and her shoulders tensed. The hawkish look she spared to Sakhmet was answer enough - no, she wouldn't decline a fight. It had been a poor attempt to frazzle the woman and get under her skin, and it had backfired. Sakhmet was made of tougher stuff than Tulukiri gave her credit.

The young woman began to pace as if she were guarding a precious resource. In a way that was true - she protected her own pride with everything she had; more important than any relationship she'd cultivated or pack she'd pledged allegiance to, this sense of self, and this concept that her strength lay in her warrior skills.

She purposefully moved as if she were circling prey, waited to see if Sakhmet would make a move. Maybe there was a reason Kigipigak had chosen her after all.