[Kaede saw movement in her peripheral vision--movement and silver hair. With her jaws busy locked about the Nuckelavee's arm and reluctant to let go she couldn't see precisely what Leslie was up to, only that the child was coming closer. The Chimera growled to warn her away—and, seemingly, the little Witch did so. That flicker of movement vanished into a puff and blip—and Kaede couldn't afford to split her attention as she heard the ice cracking again.
This time, though, the beast's movements continued to speed up. It grabbed at a handful of her shadowy form with its human arm—and found purchase, wrenching at what resembled the shadow-Chimera's feathers. She snarled in return, digging her claws deep into the Nuckelavee's arm and kicking the back of its torso and head. She didn't have much room to build up momentum, but it knocked the creature's human torso off balance enough to loosen its grip.
The place where Leslie had reappeared was almost a very occupied one; the sand hyena dashing through yelped as she almost crash landed on it, turning its head and baring its teeth like any startled predator redirecting its aggression. But the hyena was smarter than most, and better trained by some long-ago master Underground and reinforced here. And the hyenas had come to recognize Leslie enough as a thing-of-shadows, like their new master.
Their master who had a task for them, and who the second hyena (this one with a torn ragged ear) was already aiding—lunging to grab onto the face of the Nuckelavee's horse half, its bone crushing jaws finding the skull little impediment as it yanked the beast's head down. The first hyena wheeled away from Leslie, and attacked from the side, latching onto the creature's hind leg with the same ferocity as its counterpart. And with Kaede blocking the creature's human torso from knocking it away, and with the second hyena keeping it from rearing, dislodging it from its leg shattering task was difficult.
That didn't stop the Nuckelavee from trying, shrieking hideously and thrashing its unbound legs. The grappling human arm balled its hand into a fist, punching the shadow-Chimera in the ribs—but it too couldn't build up much momentum. With a snarl, Kaede endured it. Another opening, and she could lunge for its throat instead of mangling its arm.]
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This time, though, the beast's movements continued to speed up. It grabbed at a handful of her shadowy form with its human arm—and found purchase, wrenching at what resembled the shadow-Chimera's feathers. She snarled in return, digging her claws deep into the Nuckelavee's arm and kicking the back of its torso and head. She didn't have much room to build up momentum, but it knocked the creature's human torso off balance enough to loosen its grip.
The place where Leslie had reappeared was almost a very occupied one; the sand hyena dashing through yelped as she almost crash landed on it, turning its head and baring its teeth like any startled predator redirecting its aggression. But the hyena was smarter than most, and better trained by some long-ago master Underground and reinforced here. And the hyenas had come to recognize Leslie enough as a thing-of-shadows, like their new master.
Their master who had a task for them, and who the second hyena (this one with a torn ragged ear) was already aiding—lunging to grab onto the face of the Nuckelavee's horse half, its bone crushing jaws finding the skull little impediment as it yanked the beast's head down. The first hyena wheeled away from Leslie, and attacked from the side, latching onto the creature's hind leg with the same ferocity as its counterpart. And with Kaede blocking the creature's human torso from knocking it away, and with the second hyena keeping it from rearing, dislodging it from its leg shattering task was difficult.
That didn't stop the Nuckelavee from trying, shrieking hideously and thrashing its unbound legs. The grappling human arm balled its hand into a fist, punching the shadow-Chimera in the ribs—but it too couldn't build up much momentum. With a snarl, Kaede endured it. Another opening, and she could lunge for its throat instead of mangling its arm.]