Duskfire Glacier I am the cut that ends foes—

Snap. 

Bone broke beneath her teeth as it gave entirely, its other limb pinned beneath its body weight and the weight of her mate. Tikigâk felt the desperation of the beast who clung to the pulse of its life. She felt the shift in its own body, saw the dexterous beast make one last ditch effort at survival. 

Its hind claws were just as effective as its front. As Faust readjusted, the cougar saw its last opportunity—it did not account for Tikigâk’s own experience, could not, so mindless in its last ditch effort to survive this. 

The arm in her mouth was limp, useless—Tikigâk encouraged her mate to hold fast as she turned as its hips lifted, as one hind leg shot to claw at the vulnerable underbelly of her mate—

Tikigâk caught this leg, too, coming to grip the tibula—just in time. Any later and his groin might have been effected. Fausts weight was perfectly distributed otherwise, and its other hind leg was caught in a position that rendered it as useless as his broken leg. She felt it resist, felt the strength of this limb and of its fight as every neuron firing in its brain demanded it fight until its very last. Despite detesting the species, Tikigâk could appreciate the spirited attempt… perhaps because she suspected the outcome would remain in their favor. 

But she too felt the strength dwindling, the life fade. Futile kicks became twitches, and her gaze upon Faust comprehended the look. Tikigâk would not release until the thing was dead—this thing would lay no claw upon him.