Thor stood in the clearing he had chosen hours ago, his white hair catching the muted light that broke through the canopy.
His face was calm, unreadable, as if none of this mattered.
But in truth, he had been waiting for this moment for weeks. Every step of the panther, every flicker of shadow, every path it could take had already been accounted for.
It thought it was stalking him. It had no idea it was already inside his cage.
The shadows rippled to his left, and Thor spoke without turning his head.
"Your biggest mistake," he said, his tone smooth, almost academic, "was stepping into my forest."
GROWL!
A low growl reverberated through the trees.
The panther materialized, a sleek blur of obsidian fur and eyes that glowed like honey.
Shadow Ki clung to its body, smoke-like tendrils masking its outline.
It was a predator designed to strike from nothingness, to end fights before they began. Against almost any prey, that strategy was flawless.
But Thor wasn't prey.
