Leo flinched back with a growl of pain when she headbutted him, which gave her just the bit of wiggle room she needed. As she escaped from his grasp, he had a mind to dive right onto her again, but decided against it, figuring that freedom of movement would work to his advantage in the end. His backing off did grant her the space to pull off her kick, however. At the last moment, he saw her pulling in her legs and crossed his arms defensively to intercept it. Her boots struck his forearms with considerable force, which caused his paws to slide across the dusty ground as it pushed him backwards. The slide quickly transitioned into a backward stumble, but he kept his balance and soon regained his posture.

Although fighting was still going on all around them, it was all about the two of them now. It was as if the spirits of war willed it this way. He was badly bruised and probably had a few bone fractures, but he was far from defeated. For now, he allowed his opponent to rise to her feet in order to observe her next move, all the while baring his teeth in an angry snarl.