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He was collected, unfazed by the flurry of blades. Feline walkers were particularly sharp, and he did not want her weapons to find their mark. He responded, stepping to the side and around, tracing circles over the ground by her lead. She was frighteningly fast; however, he derived a great deal of enjoyment from this interesting challenge. When he was younger, he hated such exercises; now, he realized their value. For that reason, his sword remained at his side and did not initiate a counter-attack despite the openings he saw.

"I see," he began, evidently amused as their dance progressed. "You didn't take advantage of any of those things here," he only spoke during breaks in her attack, again dodging her claws, "but, yeah, you are pretty fast."

It would seem that she did not enjoy their dance as much as he did. Her frustration and exhaustion manifested in her movements before she finally disengaged. He was not finished, but he supposed this outcome was fair. If he was not responding, there was little need to continue. Not only was it fair, but it was also smart. She was overexerting herself, and every attack increased her vulnerability. She held out for far longer than he expected, though; it was incredibly difficult to maintain that level of speed for that duration of time.

She would have to come down eventually, anyway...

Her words were calm, contrasting sharply with her previous rage. "Glad you noticed," he smiled, looking rather charming for a walker. "I track down and kill other purewalkers to test my fighting ability." Similar to the furry feline, his words contrasted with his actions. He did not capitalize on the opportunities to end the fight. Based on their dance, he was confident that he could kill her if he wanted -- and the bigger part of him still desired to do so. However, there was another part of him that wanted to prolong their engagement. It had been a while since he had this much fun.

Her uncertainty was palpable, and he relished it; however, it appeared as though she was good at controlling her instincts. She did not dwell on the question of why he did not strike her down if he had the opportunity. His smile widened while his eyes narrowed just a touch, and he sauntered closer to her tree. She was much smarter than she looked. She knew when to disengage, and she knew how to redirect. It took Ashura a long time to learn how to control himself, and he wondered if that quality came naturally to her -- it did not seem like she had someone who beat it into her, anyway.

"Ouch," he began, chuckling lightly as he spoke, "I just danced with you and you're gonna call me boring?" He rose, resting his forepaws against the trunk of the tree to support his weight as he looked up at her, his pretty face just out of the reach of her dangerous claws. "Pretty sure I was the one playing around and you were the one trying to kill, too," his tone was playful, bordering devilish. "Come down. I was having so much fun."

Indeed, she was quite smart. He did not take challenges lightly; however, by her words, he was typically quite boring. He normally killed his playthings -- if he was meant to be entertaining, then his partners should be as well. This female had the edge on him in that regard, for she was rather entertaining. He knew how a fight would go; it had already played out in his mind. He would be the victor in combat, but this was something else. He could justify sparing this one, for now.

"If I told you the truth, you'll call me boring again," he teased. "Come down. If fighting is boring, show me what's more fun."

If she turned violent, he could adapt in an instant. He had learned how to read others over the years, and he could see that she knew better than to attack him again. Her first assault was a fruitless endeavor, and she attempted to surprise him then, too.

"What's your name?"

"Dead Reckoning," he tested the name with his tongue. It was interesting, and he imagined it was what she chose for herself. "I'm Ashura."

Finally, she descended, similarly to how she had when they first met. Her back was exposed, and he understood this was another test. She was prepared for him, and even if he was able to kill her, she was quick and could easily outrun him. They were at an impasse of sorts, and it was in their best interests that the two of them behave -- for a short while, anyway.

"Fine, Squirrel," he ribbed, prowling up to her side. "You have all night to show me what you mean."

This was a different kind of excitement - one that he had not learned to control quite yet - and his tails betrayed his emotions as they flicked behind him. Dead Reckoning got the better of him, and he did not care. This evening was a welcomed change of pace, and he would be able to continue his endeavors in high spirits tomorrow. One walker that slipped away would not trouble him much; he knew he would not find her in the morning. She had entertained him nonetheless, and he liked her version of fun.

Surely, Ashura would remember this fiery squirrel.