It baffled Tesseract for a moment, the idea that somebody might almost seem to enjoy pain. The way the male carelessly placed his weight about was confusing, although Tesseract quickly understood it to be both a strength and a weakness. After all, if he could outlast this challenger, the residual damage would eventually catch up and render the other male useless. So, was that going to be his plan? Did Tesseract truly believe he could run laps around this male until the muscle tore too badly? He doubted it to be possible, although he had an inkling that his extensive knowledge of the terrain would help. Even in the dark, Tesseract knew where the trees grew thickest and what kinds of shrubs to expect. He could weave in and out of the darkness, toying with the bastard.

Once he had his fangs in the other's chest, he would push into him and dart back. However, it seemed his plans would not make it to fruition. Instead, his teeth merely clipped the flesh, pulling away a long line of fur before he was thrown back, his neck twisting in retaliation to try and keep it stable. It rattled his brain for some seconds, his mind a blur with what had just taken place. All the while, he had seemingly lost track of the male as he began to rise and brace himself once more, his hackles rising in instinct. Rather than remain still, however, he began to lope forward, desperate to keep himself in motion lest he be taken off guard. The light was dim and his mind still needed to gather itself back together after such a shock. For a moment, he could have sworn he had seen Jumanji in the darkness with Caligula coiled up around him like a serpent.

What hit him, though, was more than just a blow to morale that had been struggling under the weight of believed failure. What hit him had been fast and solid, like a tree sweeping up from below him, smashing up into his waist. He scrambled for footing as his back legs were swept out from beneath him, his back and body twisting before his side slammed into the earth. His lungs pushed out a sudden snarl, a sound of both surprise and anger as he desperately began to grip at the earth to pull himself up. However, a sudden explosion of pain quickly turned that frantic scrambling into a hoarse howl of anger. He felt as if his very body was as hot as the sun, his entire lower half bursting into white hot agony.

He twisted back to watch, the other male standing atop him with a twisted grin and yet, his eyes remained as passive as ever. He chewed into Tesseract's hind limb, his teeth shredding through his hamstrings in no time at all. Blood seeped out, spreading across Tesseract's own leg and the male's face, reaching down into the dark soil below. He could not allow it for any longer and with a vicious snarl, he lurched beneath and pulled himself free, his leg kicking out of the male's mouth and pummeling into the usurper's face. The impact pushed his head away just long enough for Tesseract to scramble out from beneath him and regain his footy, though he stood shakily at best. His left back leg tucked in as close to his body as possible, hanging almost limply.

"Leave this place, you evil bastard. This is not your home. This is not your place."

Evil seemed like the appropriate word, for he seemed oblivious not only to his own pain but to everything else around him. He had savaged Tesseract without a second thought, without consideration and yet, he had made no effort to kill. It was not right.