Blacktail Deer Plateau let moths consume me in the light

She didn't expect to be able to get completely out of the way, nor did she expect to be able to grab and down Ying so easily. Maybe scuffles weren't as difficult as they seemed; being young, it was hard to keep the success from going to her head, but Nieve had never been an arrogant sort. She chocked it up to luck and patience. Her opponent seemed a reckless sort. She released Ying's scruff and stepped back, giving the paler she-wolf space to stand.

Nieve still made no move to land any real blows of her own. Her strategy was simple: defend and deflect Ying's blows until the woman either relented or realized it was more work than it was worth to try to dominate her. She felt strangely calm in the moment, like this was all a choreographed dance that she'd practised a hundred times, even though this was her first challenge. She took it no less personally—it would take a while before she could handle a challenge without feeling like it was a slight against her—but things seemed to settle into place.

The girl bared her teeth again and arched her neck, adopting the most domineering posture she could possibly muster, but still gave no indication that she was going to launch any sort of attack. She wouldn't get so lucky with a dodge again and even she knew that, but she was willing to take it.