The branch had barely stabilized beneath Kaedor's landing when he moved again.
He did not allow distance to form.
His claws tore forward in a sweeping barrage, each strike heavy enough to fracture reinforced wood, forcing Elenara to shift rather than meet the blows head-on. He crossed the massive branch in long, predatory strides, momentum still carrying from the failed deception.
Elenara did not attempt to overpower him directly.
The battlefield responded instead.
From the central root, new branches erupted outward in sharp angles, extending into open air and reshaping the vertical space around them. They split and divided mid-growth, forming layered paths that did not exist a heartbeat earlier. She moved across them without hesitation, stepping and leaping between freshly formed extensions as if the structure had always been there.
Kaedor adjusted instantly.
