Taki leaped to the side, Adira crashing down a moment later with so much force that the earth beneath her fist cratered, sending dust and dirt everywhere in the resulting explosion of debris.

“Incredible... Carter whispered as he watched nearby with the rest of the pack. He'd never imagined a werewolf could be that powerful.

“Adira is just warming up," Obol said with obvious admiration.

Taki spread her wings, blowing the debris away from her with rapid flaps and standing at the ready. Adira crouched where she had landed, eying the mantis with a feral smirk, then pushing off to attack again, flying at her claws first.

Now Taki leaped up, avoiding the slash as the werewolf's claws tore straight through the tree trunk behind the mantis. Adira continued to fly forward, using her momentum to run up the trunk of the next tree even as the first began to fall. High above, Taki kicked off at the collapsing tree, pushing her away even as Adira reached the same height in the next tree and leaped off the trunk in the same direction.

While those on the ground scattered to get out of the way of the falling tree, Taki and Adira continued to rebound off of tree trunks and branches, Adira narrowly missing her again and again as they got higher and higher.

Having reached the tops of the trees, Taki went on the offensive, surprising Adira with her speed as she leaped at her, though the werewolf still managed to block her two simultaneous slashes, grabbing her hands in her own vice-like grip and Leaving them in a mid-air grapple. Her confident smirk vanished though as the mantis spread her wings again and beat them furiously, propelling her downward with the werewolf under her and picking up speed.

Adira was about to use her superior strength to switch positions, only to see stars as Taki slammed her into and through a huge tree branch on the way down. A second before hitting the ground Taki pushed off, leaving the stunned werewolf to take the full force of the impact, leading to another crash and another crater.

Carter's jaw dropped.

“This is unreal..."

“Wow, the boss is going to feel that in the morning,” Obol stated with a pained expression.

"She's still alive?!" Carter exclaimed.

“Sure she is," the teenage werewolf chimed.

“It'll take more than a little fall to stop Adira."

Taki Landed Lightly a short distance away, breathing heavily but never taking her eyes off where the werewolf had fallen, even with the huge branch they had broken through now crashing down above her. Instead she unfurled her right scythe and delivered a slash above her just in time to slice through the branch, each half landing harmlessly to either side of her.

“Those blades are pretty sturdy, but so am I," came Adira's cocky voice from where she had crashed into the earth, her eyes glowing with fury.

Taki visibly tensed.

Adira began to stand, only to cry out in pain.

“Agh! That fall dislocated my shoulder!" the werewolf growled, her left arm hanging limply as testament.

The mantis wasn't surprised when the werewolf proceeded to force the appendage back into its socket. Now both knew how serious the other was.