Lucien tears across the arena.
Braska's instincts kick in a half-second late, bracing just in time as Lucien closes the distance in a blur, and Braska blurs too, meeting him head-on.
The two connect in a single, thunderous impact that sends a wall of sand rippling outward in every direction. Fist against fist, jaw against jaw, both blows landing clean and full at the exact same instant.
Braska stumbles back first, wiping his mouth with the back of one paw. It comes away red.
Lucien just stares at him. Wordless. Breathing ragged. Eyes glinting with something that isn't quite sanity anymore, the look of a predator sizing up prey that made the mistake of hitting back.
Braska roars and leaps in anyway.
