Leo knew his claws had hit flesh, but he had no further time to respond before he found himself being lifted off the ground in a shoulder throw. His momentum alone couldn’t account for this; she was strong, probably stronger than him even. But she was lighter as well. In mid-air, he made a grab with the hand she was grappling him by for one of her own arms, trying to get a strong grip on her forearm so that she couldn’t disconnect from him as soon as the throw was complete.

After a brief moment in the air, he hit the ground hard on his back. The air was knocked out of him, but he wasn’t quite stunned enough to let the momentum of the swing go to waste. Provided his attempt to grab her arm had succeeded, he would pull the same trick on her, pulling her into the air and flinging her over his downed body to crash into the ground at his feet, something that upper body strength alone wouldn’t save her from.