She had hoped to throw him off balance, but whatever mask is in place now she cannot shake and her frustration grows. No sign that her words mean anything to him, though she’s sure they’re the truth. He’s just play-acting at being brave. At being able to stand her presence.
Mazikeen does not give away ground after she had moved towards him even though she’s enraged by him moving closer again.
And then he touches her.
By all accounts, it’s a simple touch. Golden lips upon a snow cheek. It should be a simple thing.
And yet. He’s the first to ever touch her like this and even though it cannot possibly mean anything to him, she’s fractured by how much it means to her. To hear her name spoke in a cherished way but know it’s all just a lie, a tease. That this callous, horrid creature feigns at an affection Mazikeen has never experienced before just to torture her. Just to win.
Both the chill and the fire in her splinter for a quick moment, revealing this pain. This heartache. This stolen first.
They are close enough that he would be able to see it, the way her orange eyes shimmer for that very small moment, but then the hurricane begins to spin again and Mazikeen loses herself to the rage utterly and completely. Suddenly it does not matter whether he gained the upper hand in their conversation so long as she can tear flesh from bone. If she cannot win one way, she’ll win another.
Mazikeen is not one who enjoys violence for the sake of it, but she’s sure anyone would understand why this is the exception.
“I’ll show you out of control.” She hisses before her mouth elongates and she bites at his face with canine teeth. The rest of her body follows suit until she is a lithe, powerful wolf.
And then a bear.
And then an eagle.
Leopard. Lion. Giant otter. Monkey. Osprey. Panther.
She flickers between shapes in a silent frenzy, never settling, always moving, every heartbeat something new as her shapeshifting taps into her fury for power and her hurt in an attempt to dull and drown it out so she cannot even feel it anymore. Every shape clawed or sharp-toothed or with strong gripping fingers as she tries to tear through him.
