Broken Antler Fen not the needle, nor the thread, the lost decree

their chase spanned from lake into headlands, and behind them the sun sunk into cold emptiness and a veil of starlight emerged in the lightless skies. he felt the cold sting his lungs and the wind claw his fur. he felt the hard ground pack under each thudding paw, and the spray of powder kicked up by her rapidly fleeing heels.

he was winded when she whirled upon him, a desperate swing of her fangs launched for his lowered muzzle. the movement was rapid and sudden and he was still victim of his own momentum as she struck into him, her fangs raking across his cheek. a flash of searing pain stung his cheek, eliciting a compressed snarl from deep within his still heaving lungs. he sought to use the momentum of his chase to his advantage and hopefully collide straight into her with enough power to send her flipping into the snow.

whatever the outcome of the collision, if any such collision occurred, iliksis was prepared for more teeth to find him. he readied himself by standing in a splayed, aggressive stance -- his breath still discharging in rapid pants from his muzzle with his cheeks puffed by the force of each exhale.