and the stars in their orbits shone pale through the lightof the brighter, colder moon

The roar of the crowd around the ring made trying to think an utterly difficult feat. Nadya needed quiet, she needed calm, and being in the middle of it all was doing nothing to keep her sane. She attempted to ignore Tobias and the clear agitation she could feel directed at her for not fighting. She attempted to ignore the armadillo that scuttled around trying to re-aim at her despite her continually pacing and stumbling about. If the rolling into her was its only form of attack then she figured she may have a chance at simply avoiding it. That was her goal, to avoid and let Tobi fight; it served him right to have to fight alone for tricking her.

However, the hiss that escaped Tobi from the alligator's teeth slicing open his skin made her ears flatten against her skull and eye clench shut. The sound of a packmate being harmed made her body tense as her mind fought between the driving need to help him and the one that wanted to make him pay for his treachery. "Shouldn't lie shouldn't lie." It was hard to tell whether the armadillo was hesitating in attacking Nadya out of pity or confusion, it's gaze flickering over to see how its partner was fairing with the other feline. The crowd was torn between rooting on Tobias' display and shouting disgruntled boo's at the lack of a show from the ebony jaguar. Never before had a fight consisted of an opponent simply refusing to partake. Soon enough those upset viewers had something more to say on the matter and their voices reached Nadya's ears.

That's Tetradore's sister.
Doesn't she have kids?
She owns that burlesque.
She's been off with that other Alpha...
Gets around doesn't she.

There was very little that Nadya could take offense to. She grew used to the looks she got from strangers when they saw her with twins in tow...she loved her children too much to care. She loved her business, took pride in it, and the booming business told her that others enjoyed it too. However, insinuating that Nadya had been sleeping around with an Alpha of another pack infuriated her. It insulted her honor and it was a chord that Tobi had struck before and had led to their most recent fight. Nadya's ears twitched in anger, her eyes popping open with a spitting hiss the moment after the blood from the alligator splattered against her coat. Gone was the human within and in its place was only beast, golden eyes shining brilliantly with primal instinct that honed in on the alligator death rolling in attempt to throw off Tobi.

The panther leapt up from her spot, ignoring the armadillo and making a beeline straight for the pair. Nadya leapt upon the alligator during a pause in its death roll, claws unsheathing in attempt to find purchase in its thick hide while her jaws parted and came down on its back. While Tobi's leopard species was certainly strong, jaguars were well known for their skull crushing jaw strength so the thick skin of the alligator was no match for it. A hissing growl emitted from the alligator as it resumed its attempt to thrash the pair off. The crowd around them increased in their roar of appreciation, those that had been lingering at other rings now swarming in attempt to see the Betas of the pack fighting.

The armadillo snapped itself into a ball once more and quickly rolled forward at the trio. Nadya had been unable to keep on top of the alligator, her claws unable to find enough purchase so had landed paws on the ground and her canines dug into its back, yanking with all her might in a tug-o-war of sorts with Tobi. The hard rock of the armadillo connected with Nadya's back leg before popping open and slicing at her with its own thick claws causing pain to shoot through her and release the alligator from her mouth so it could twist about with its jaws to snap at Tobi. Nadya's attention turned to the armadillo, her mouth coated with its partner's blood, spitting a vicious hiss in its direction in warning. Nadya's back leg was surely fractured, the pain intense enough to cause the animal to limp slightly though not bad enough for her to back down. Her attention whipped back around to the alligator, not deeming the small armadillo as enough of a threat. The armadillo once more aimed and rolled with force towards the injured panther. It was foolish, truly, and had anyone realized that the panther was far gone, the look in her eyes far different than the soulful ones that usually looked back at you, they perhaps would have ended the fight. The crowd was so amped up and the blood so common that those assigned as referees for the ring didn't notice though.

One of Nadya's ears twitched backward, hearing the telltale sound of the armadillo approaching once more. Nadya pivoted about to face the oncoming ball, letting out a hissing roar, her ability all at once unleashing with brutal force upon the small animal. The armadillo quickly unraveled with a cry and began to thrash about on the floor. The animal then became human, the man's bellowing screams echoing in the sudden silence that had fallen over the crowd, watching as the man clutched his head and writhed on the ground as slivers of blood began to seep from his nose. Nadya's gaze remained hard on him, her mind now completely fractured and holding no semblance of remorse as it was becoming clear to the crowd that she was not going to release her victim...