Fight:Canine Capers

Along the River Vibrance

Mahri pulled one foot, then the other out of the sucking muck that was the mud along the river bank. Eyeing Satoshi, she wrinkled her nose at the feline, "I just lost both boots, Kitten." Humor filled her voice, but not for long as she got down to the business at hand. Taking in her surroundings, the plants and damp to sopping earth, the druid took a deep breath, gathering the energy around her to use to call upon. Her silver eyes shimmer with the energy that nearly fills her, eager to be released upon her opponent. Mahri's lips move, her words soft and almost unheard, though their affects are felt when the ground begins to shift beneath their feet. Figuring that the feline would be more nimble than most, the lycan calls too, upon the plants to give assistance, growing and reaching razor-sharp leaves for the mage's ankles and wrists, seeking to wrap around Satoshi's limbs and try to pull her down into the crust that begins to open beneath her feet.

Satoshi stood in a seemingly calm stance, ankle deep in the mud, with only an anxiously twitching tail giving tell to her agitated mood. The feline watched Mahri keenly, her nose twitching once to scent the woman trudging in her direction. She could not make out the words Mahri was speaking with the gap between them, but the mage could sense a shift in the magicks around her, the sensation causing the fur to stand on end from ear tip to tail tip. A low, wary hiss comes from between clenched teeth as the ground shifts beneath her and she darts sideways, her feet no longer sinking in the muck as she ran with almost an elf-like grace over its surface. Another hiss, this time one of anger, is made as the grabbing leaves catch and slice at her flesh, her claws working frantically to sever the few tendrils that manage to wrap around her wrists. The little red dog, Sawyer, barks from his place running behind the mage, jaws snapping at any of the animated plants that dared to approach his master's boots. Feline and canine make a jagged path towards the druid, weaving and turning with the plants' assault. Halting just long enough to crouch low, leg muscles bunching to gather energy before the feline springs forward, her pounce aimed for Mahri, clawed gauntlets poised to swipe at the druid's upper body should she not manage to avoid the cat. A lucky razor-leafed plant would catch Satoshi by her mid-section, whether her strike was successful or not, and yank her back toward the mud, with only Sawyer chewing on the vine serving as interference.

Mahri wasn't so lost to her earth magic that she didn't see or sense Satoshi's leap. However, the dog was quite a distraction to the 'wolf, her animalistic tendancies taking over for a moment to allow a growl at the dog. Oh, but that was her mistake and she felt claws rake over her unprotected shoulder, slicing through the fabric of her shirt, but only making shallow furrows in the flesh beneath as Satoshi was jerked backwards by one of her plants. Trying to keep the self-satisfie smirk clear of her features, Mahri ignores the burning pain in her shoulder in favor of completing the plant's directive, tighten..if the dog didn't gnaw right through the viney greenery, Satoshi might find herself squeezed tight, each movement causing the plant to increase the pressure. Anticipating the eventuality of the feline getting free, Mahri sends part of her conciousness outward, thrusting into the ground to call up rather large stones, boulders to be exact. Some are positioned in a horizontal line between the lycan and the mage, providing some sort of barrier, but the largest of them begin a slow, squelching roll towards Satoshi, their weight enough to push Satoshi into the ground,either pinning her, or burying her. If..that is she didn't manage to get free of the vine and escape.

Satoshi squirmed and hissed at the tightening grip of the vine, the leaves burying themselves in her skin so that blood dripped over the plant with each squeeze. Sawyer let out low growls and whines between anxious bites to the thick vine, his fangs making deep gouges and slowly working his way through, his pointed ears flicking back at the rumble of the boulders making an appearance. He began to paw at the constricting plant, whimpering urgently to his master and the approaching threat. The feline's own claws sliced and swiped hurriedly upon sighting the stones rolling toward her. Somewhere on the vine a wet snap was heard and the mage fell into a graceless crouch in the mud, although she didn't spare the time to look back and see if it had been the dog or her effort that severed the leafy hold. With a pained hiss, blood spilling from the razor-thin slices on her abdomen, she adjusted her crouch into that same prepared stance. But instead of propelling herself forward the feline leapt at a more vertical angle toward the nearest boulder. With much scrambling and clawing the feline manged to get herself atop the rock, balanced dangerously as her feet made the necessary shifts for the stone's movement. "Sawyer, sic 'er!" the cat called to her dog, only a short bark coming as answer as the dog dashed off to make a wide berth around Mahri's barrier. Satoshi left the dog to his actions as that point and hopped from the boulder to the next, each landing and leap pronounced with a growl of pain, until she perched upon on of the fencing boulders. Another pounce, claws again held ready to do their job, was made toward the druid. This time, however, her move was slower and likely the lycan would avoid her. Although, it was possible her dodging would put her in the path of Sawyer's jaws as he raced toward them.

Mahri couldn't help but be impressed with Satoshi's maneuvering. She had fully expected that the vine wouldn't last, and it was a good thing too. Signs of strain had started to show, the white around her lips that were pressed into a thin line and her eyes that squinted. Not to mention the small beads of sweat that had starte to roll down her forhead and cheeks. Releasing the energy that held sway over plants, the area became once more the barren mud-plain it'd been, aside from the boulders which came to a halt as soon as Satoshi escaped their crushing weight. Hearing the command to the dog, Mahri begins to back away, only to find her feet had sunk knee deep into the mud, making her even slower than Satoshi's pounce, her claws burying themselves into her torso as Mahri reaches up to try and catch Sato mid-flight. The dog, bounding around the ineffective barrier, leapt at the same time, sinking his teeth into Mahri's thigh. With a wild cry of pain, Mahri bends backwards, using the small amount of Satoshi's momentum against her, hoping that the feline would sail neatly over her, even if those buried claws ripped out muscle and flesh. If that happened, then Mahri would reach down to try and grab the mutt by the scruff of his neck, ripping his teeth out of her thigh and flinging him toward the rushing river.

Satoshi managed a laugh of triumph as her claws connected with flesh successfully, although the sound died on her lips when she felt Mahri's sudden jerk backwards. The feline's momentum was more than enough to sending her over her target, claws releasing with her surprise at the maneuver. She tumbled to the ground a short distance away, sliding a bit further in the mud. The mage groaned, arms shaking as she pushed herself back up into a sitting position, the rivermuck coating her normally pristine fur. She saw, proudly, that Sawyer clung obediently to the druid's thigh, but the swell of approval faltered at the sight of Mahri reaching for the dog's scruff. Sawyer snarled once as a hand gripped the fur around his neck, tugging his free, and Satoshi called out in a wordless protest, scrambling to stand on one foot, her hands tugging frantically at the other mudcaked boot. "Oi!" with a call made to the druid, she flung the footwear at Mahri. A plenty harmless attack if it managed to connect with Mahri's head or shoulder, but hopefully enough to startle the lycan and shorten up her tossing of the dog into the river.

Mahri tugged, actually reluctant to take a fist to the dog as his teeth sunk deeper into the muscle. She was just about to when she heard the call and turned her head just in time to see the boot flying. Slilvery eyes wide, she can't seem to duck fast enough as the heel got her squarely in the eye. "For Gods' sake, woman!" she half yells, half growls, forgetting about the dog now as that small injury was the one to cause the most pain. Clutching her eye, Mahri jerks her unbitten leg out of the mud, swinging it at the dog to try and at least fient him into releasing his prize.