Concern knit his brow as the male stepped closer, but his age and experience bade him keep his distance from this stranger who had wandered into the realm of Spirane. But she wore her disguise well, the single word that confirms she was injured slipping between her lips in a wavering manner. As she limped forward, Sleekwing stepped towards her again – ever the gentleman, he did not wish for her to put undue stress upon the limb just to approach him. And though her words further weaved the convincing lie that she told, the responsibility to be wary of intruders lingered at the back of Sleekwing’s mind. He wanted to help this woman, but he also wanted to know more about her – perhaps a name, where she’d come from? When she touched her paw to the ground and withdrew it again, he grimaced slightly. Perhaps one of the healers could take a look at it and make sure there was no lasting damage. And yet for some reason he did not wish to call upon his daughter for this teachable moment, some kind of unease prickling at the back of his mind that he had not yet fully acknowledged. “I’m Sleek-“ he began to offer, hoping to earn her name in return, but then she struck.

There was no time for shock or disbelief – a lifetime of defending the borders of Spirane and looking after his family and pack had taught him to react physically first and ask questions later. The shewolf suddenly placed her paw firmly on the ground and with that, a dozen signals fired in Sleekwing’s mind. She launched towards him and was met with the flash of his own teeth as lips pulled back in answer to her assault. Muscles sparking to action, he lunged forward to collide with her body, thusly moving his throat out of her reach and delivering his shoulder into her grasp instead. The sting of fang piercing flesh was disregarded as he took advantage of the low angle she had attacked from. Though they were evenly matched for height and weight, when she had gone low, he went high.

Arace’s jaws grasped his shoulder, placing her head below his as he lifted slightly off his forelegs and twisted his head to plunge his jaws down around the top of her neck. Accuracy could not be counted entirely upon in this sudden attack – he might have grabbed her just behind the ears or further down the neck, but he grabbed her nevertheless. As soon as he had her in his grasp, he shook his head to whatever degree he could from his position, his intent to dislodge her hold on him. Though it might exacerbate the wound to his shoulder, it did its job of freeing him from her hold. He then reared up fully on his hind legs used his front paws to bodily shove her away from him, though he doubted the space he had created between them would last for long. A shock of pain radiated from his injured shoulder as he came back down onto all fours. “Who are you, and who sent you?” he snarled, lips pulled back menacingly. Adrenaline fueled him as his tail curled up over his back and the fur all along his spine stood on end. She had tried to play him for a fool, and near enough succeeded – but what was the point?