Tal was fast. He'd always been a better runner than a fighter and he wasn't shy about admitting it. If he'd been racing Ru fair and square he'd have bet on himself every time. But he only had two legs to cover the same distance that the Valkyrie could use four on, and his booted human feet weren't nearly as efficient as a cougar's broad paws atop the snow.
Still, he'd almost made it to his next patch of shelter. If he hadn't slowed to scoop up another couple of handfuls of snow he might have actually reached it, but he made the rookie mistake of prioritizing ammunition over escape and he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the big cat leaping for him.
He twisted as he straightened up and Ru hit him in the chest, knocking the courier back into the soft snow. He didn't even have a chance to cry out or swear with how the air was knocked out of his lungs, but it didn't stop him from a final attack - attempting to smoosh both handfuls of snow into the feline's fuzzy face in final vengeance as he tried to wheeze a little oxygen back into his aching ribs.
Still, he'd almost made it to his next patch of shelter. If he hadn't slowed to scoop up another couple of handfuls of snow he might have actually reached it, but he made the rookie mistake of prioritizing ammunition over escape and he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the big cat leaping for him.
He twisted as he straightened up and Ru hit him in the chest, knocking the courier back into the soft snow. He didn't even have a chance to cry out or swear with how the air was knocked out of his lungs, but it didn't stop him from a final attack - attempting to smoosh both handfuls of snow into the feline's fuzzy face in final vengeance as he tried to wheeze a little oxygen back into his aching ribs.
