"Scar, back down!" Hunter barked, his voice cutting through the dust. "We need her alive—remember?"
Scar's chest rumbled with a growl, his fangs glinting as his eyes burned hotter. "She's no use to us if little ol' me can kill her."
Sarah tilted her head, a dangerous smirk curving her lips. "You better listen to your big brother," she taunted, her golden eyes blazing. "He knows best… for once."
Scar charged again, shaking the floor with each thundering step. Sarah sidestepped, graceful, her claws slashing across his shoulder — sparks of pain ripping a snarl from his throat.
He whirled, backhand swinging. This time she caught his arm mid-swipe, twisted, and slammed her knee into his gut. The impact shook the air, sending him stumbling back into the wall, wood cracking under his weight.
Hunter hovered nearby, fists clenched, torn between stepping in or staying back.
"Sarah, enough! If you kill him---" he shouted.
Scar only laughed through his teeth, blood glistening down his side. "She couldn't kill me if she tried."
Then he lunged again, faster, wilder, claws outstretched — not for a blow… but to rip.
"Not bad," he growled, "but you've forgotten one thing."
With a sudden surge, his arm shot up, claws raking across her side. Sarah gasped, stumbling back as blood blossomed against her shirt.
Scar didn't let up. He seized the opening, slamming his shoulder into her chest. The impact sent her crashing into the wall, plaster shattering as she slid down, breath ragged.
Hunter's eyes widened. "Scar, stop!"
But Scar was already advancing, towering over her in his man-wolf form, every step like thunder. His voice was low, savage.
"You think you can still match me, Luna?" His glowing eyes narrowed. "That was the old you. I've grown. I've killed. I've bled enough to become what you never could."
He raised his claws high, ready to strike the final blow. "Now the legendary White Storm…" he licked his fangs, voice low, mocking. "About to die by my claws."
Sarah chuckled darkly.
"The White Storm… I'd almost forgotten that title. Let me remind you why wolves still whisper it in fear."
In a blur, she moved — claws flashing like lightning. Her first strike tore across Scar's chest, the sound of flesh ripping drowned only by his snarl. He swung back, a brutal haymaker, but Sarah ducked low and surged up with a crushing uppercut that lifted him off his feet, sending dust and splinters into the air.
He hit the wall hard, stone cracking under the force. The room shook.
Scar roared, his body swelling, bones snapping as more of the beast surfaced. His claws tore through the debris, eyes blazing red.
"You'll have to do better than scratches, Storm!"
Sarah's golden eyes narrowed, her hair whipping around her face as her aura flared — wind seemed to stir unnaturally in the room.
"You'll regret asking for better."
She launched forward, a whirlwind of precision. Every strike was sharp, clean, devastating — claw to rib, knee to gut, elbow to jaw. Scar staggered, but each blow only made him shift further.
When his counter came, it was like a wrecking ball — his claw caught her mid-strike, slammed her across the room. She crashed into the wall, dust exploding around her, wood snapping under the impact.
Still, she stood, wiping blood from her lip. Her smirk returned.
"Not bad… not bad at all."
Across the room, Hunter stood frozen between loyalty and awe. His fists were still clenched, but he hadn't moved an inch since the first strike.
"I guess…" he muttered under his breath, almost to himself, eyes locked on her golden glow, "…the Storm still lives."