The panther limped backward, its body shivering as its predatory confidence bled into calculation. Thor saw it in its eyes—the flicker of hesitation, the moment of doubt.
It had realized that it was slowing down because of something that the small being had done.
It didn't understand what, but it felt like the boy in front of it was dangerous.
It knew that this was a fight that ended with one of them dead, and it decided that the boy had to go!
The panther lunged again, desperation overriding hesitation. Its shadows thickened, forming jagged blades along its claws, an elemental surge meant to end things in one strike.
[Shadow Claws]!
Thor didn't retreat in the face of the attack, he guided it.
He used his halberd to jump above the beast, letting its rush end as the beast, once again, fell into another well hidden hole in the ground!
Its injured leg faltered on the decline, momentum pulling it sideways.
