14. Suddenly the hairs on her
neck stood on end as she sensed the new
presence down the far end of the alley. It
had not been there a moment earlier! She
let the brute slide down the wall and
collapse lifelessly onto the cobblestones
as she turned to her left to face the new
threat.
15. A male figure dressed from
head to toe in midnight blue stepped from
the depths of the shadows, stopped briefly
to raise his fist in the ritual challenge
and then started to run towards her without
a sound.
16. She dropped into a half
crouch with her left hand slightly further
forward than her right, narrowed her eyes
and focussed intently on the running
figure. Timing would be everything.
17. Moving fluidly and powerfully
at more than 40 miles per hour he came into
killing range. A last stride as a man, a
momentary blur and then the leaping wolf.
He arched towards her, red eyes glaring,
paws and claws outstretched and fangs
bared.
18. Judging the
moment to perfection the crouching woman
rippled into a leaping panther, flying
straight and true diagonally up towards the
wolf and ripping out his throat with one
powerful twist of her jaws.
