Kael'thir's tail was locked in an iron grip.
The moment the being's fingers had closed around it, he had known.
This was not prey.
This was not a beast.
This was something else.
Something like him.
A true rival.
The violet-eyed warrior held its stance, unmoving.
Not struggling.
Not forcing control.
Just waiting.
Testing him.
Kael'thir's crimson eyes burned.
A mistake.
To touch him.
To assume it could hold him down.
Kael'thir's wings flared, his body twisting—
He ripped his tail free, claws flashing toward its throat—
But the warrior was gone.
Fast.
Kael'thir landed on all fours, his tail curling behind him, his breath slow, steady.
The figure had moved faster than his own eyes could track.
Faster than anything before.
This was new.
This was dangerous.
And Kael'thir had never wanted to kill something more.
The being reappeared, standing on a jagged rock just beyond reach.
Its violet eyes watched him carefully.
Not with fear.
Not with hunger.
With calculation.
Kael'thir's tail flicked.
His instincts whispered—
It's waiting for something.
Testing him.
He did not like being tested.
His claws flexed against the canyon floor.
He would end this.
His wings twitched.
Not yet ready for flight.
But strong enough for this.
Kael'thir lunged.
The rock shattered beneath his leap, his body a blur of speed as he closed the distance.
This time—
The warrior did not dodge.
It met him head-on.
Claws clashed against steel.
Sparks flashed in the air as Kael'thir's strike met the warrior's blade.
The impact sent a shockwave through the canyon, dust rising in thick clouds.
Kael'thir twisted, his tail striking low—
The warrior sidestepped effortlessly.
The blade lashed out.
Kael'thir barely dodged, the edge shaving across his scales.
Not deep.
But not harmless.
Kael'thir's eyes narrowed.
This was not a beast's attack.
It was refined. Precise.
Deliberate.
His instincts screamed at him—
This was the most dangerous thing he had ever faced.
And he had never been more excited.
The fight was not like his previous hunts.
It was something new.
Something sharper.
The warrior moved with grace and intent, its blade always inches from a killing blow.
Kael'thir moved like a storm, relentless, pressing forward, refusing to yield.
Steel and claw.
Speed and precision.
Instinct and technique.
Neither had the upper hand.
But both refused to retreat.
The battle carved into the canyon walls, their movements sending shocks through the stone, their clashes creating sparks in the dim light.
Kael'thir growled, frustrated.
His strength was undeniable.
His speed was deadly.
But this warrior had something else.
Something Kael'thir did not yet have.
Refinement.
Discipline.
A way of fighting that was not instinct alone.
It fought with purpose.
With understanding.
With experience.
And Kael'thir hated that he did not.
Then—
A mistake.
Not his.
Theirs.
For the first time, the warrior miscalculated.
Kael'thir's tail lashed out sharply, faster than before.
It aimed to dodge—
But Kael'thir had predicted the movement.
His claws slammed into its side.
The warrior staggered, thrown backward.
Kael'thir pounced.
A blur of black scales and fangs, his jaws wide, his instincts roaring—
Kill it.
Now.
The warrior's violet eyes flashed.
Then—
It vanished.
Kael'thir's teeth snapped through empty air.
Silence.
Kael'thir landed, his tail curling, his breath slow, steady.
His gaze snapped to the canyon walls.
He could still feel it.
Still sense it.
The warrior had not fled.
It had simply stepped away.
Kael'thir hated that.
No one walked away from him.
His claws flexed.
He would find it.
He would hunt it down.
And next time—
It would not escape.
The wind shifted.
Kael'thir turned his head slightly.
The fox was still watching him.
But there was something new in her eyes.
Something like…
Understanding.
She had seen it, too.
The warrior had not been like the others.
It had not been mindless prey.
It had been a rival.
A threat.
And Kael'thir had failed to kill it.
That was unacceptable.
His tail lashed once.
Then he moved.
He would grow stronger.
Faster.
More than he had ever been before.
Because next time—
He would not let it escape.