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Myrika is by Kiri!
The tan-furred coyote leapt forward again, swinging a clawed fist toward Ithiel. It was balled up as to deaden the impact, but it did not matter -- where she aimed to connect there was only empty space, and Ithiel danced away, stopping a few feet from her. It had astonished Myrika when she first found Ithiel's countenance broken out into a wide grin, his red eyes bright and almost merry with excitement. Sparring brought a good mood out in her cousin, it seemed, and even a foe inexperienced and clumsy as herself provided entertainment for him.
When they started, the red-haired woman had not attempted to hit Ithiel with any sort of force. He had chided her viciously, urging her to strike at him with her full capability. She had hesitated still, even after his chastising, but the red-haired woman was soon swinging in earnest. It had been some time since then, and she had not hit Ithiel yet. Where she moved to strike, he disappeared -- and he was not even moving to land his own blows. The red-haired woman was growing steadily frustrated and steadily exhausted, and it showed -- an ugly snarl had drawn her lips back, and her ears were folded back into her curled red hair almost completely.
She charged Ithiel flat-out, both arms in front of her, and he sidestepped her, their shoulders just barely brushing as the Praetorian tried to strike. Snarling, Myrika turned and swung, only to completely overshoot her mark and end up sprawling in the snow. Ithiel hadn't so much as moved, and now he looked over her, all evidence of his grin disappeared. Stop? he asked, slim coyote's head tilted to one side.
Stop, she agreed, sitting up. She did not yet stand; instead, she placed her arms on both her knees and let out a long breath, trying to steady the rapidity of her breathing and heart to no avail. She looked at her cousin with almost baleful blue-green eyes as he settled to his haunches beside her. Neither of them seemed to mind the snow much, it seemed. The cover was light enough, anyway -- it was not as if the temperature was wickedly cold. On the contrary, their winter had been mild.
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