Juna kept her left hand open while the predator waited fifteen paces away, and the cliff behind them killed retreat. Hajin's sword hovered beside her shoulder, carrying the same edge that already bounced off muscle much tougher than its steel.
Then he opened his mouth, and his next idea scared her worse than the waiting teeth.
"I'm recalling you," he said, pointing the blade at the mouth without looking away, "go back inside and rest, let that hand—"
"Excuse me?"
She stared at the side of his face, hunting for the part of the plan he refused to say aloud.
The arm lunged and split their argument, so Juna ducked under it while Hajin rolled hard toward the opposite wall. Claws smashed the rock where their shoulders stood a breath earlier, and chips of cliff rained across their abandoned footing.
She bounced up with her injured fingers still clamped tight against her chest.
