The ring of water circled around Xaih, ready at her command to spring into action. From a few feet behind her, roughly around where the knife landed, she heard the knotting of the grass as though they were leaves rustling in the wind. For a moment, her gaze shifted to the right while her head remained still. Nothing more could be heard that was unnatural of that land, but she wasn't foolish to stay where she was. [i]Time to move[/i], she thought as her sight returned to the area behind the trees Dorian sought refuge in.

It appeared her opponent had a similar thought. Dorian emerged from the tree he hid behind only to begin sprinting towards another, hurling another set of knives directly her way. At the same time, a leopard sprung from behind the area to her left, appearing to be a rogue contender in this fight. There was little time to ponder the meaning, as every second was precious, and every step had to be deliberate. Thinking quickly on her feet to address the immediate threat of the knives, Xaih lowered her left arm and raised her right, both bent at the elbow. Water from the ring formed a thick wall just a few inches wider and taller than her body. Upon her hands closing, the water solidified to ice, so the knives would pierce the shield rather than her flesh. The rest of the ring broke from the ice wall, but still remained floating to deal with the leopard. Turning to her left, she lowered her right arm and lifted her left to assume a similar stance from moments ago. The leopard was still rushing towards her, but it would lunge for the attack in only a few seconds. She was no match for its speed, so running was futile, and, unfortunately, a moment of opportunity would need to be taken right as it would lunge.

Xaih opened her hands and spread her arms out in a half-circle movement, causing the water to bubble around her, the tips of her fingers barely touching the water after her arms fully stretched out. Her eyes narrowed as the distance grew frighteningly closer; her own growing tension caused the water to harden on the outside of the bubble, so it remained liquid on the inside.

The leopard took its final steps before lunging towards her, teeth bared and claws stretching open. As the distance between them decreased, she began turning on her heel, her left hand starting to close. The covering of the bubble behind her started to shift upwards just as the leopard struck the bubble, and the knives pierced the ice wall, the tips just breaking through to the other side. The hardness against its speed would certainly slow the animal down to almost a halt, and the water tension from the inside would prevent it from breaking through entirely. The rest of the bubble of water followed suit, shifting to above her before moving to enclose the leopard's whole being. By the time her hands met, the creature was covered in the water, but she wasn't finished.

Xaih continued to turn towards the river to turn in an almost full circle. Once facing away from the river, she started to run out from behind the wall, her hands controlling the bubble and forcing it to move with her. Dorian made the mistake of revealing his location earlier, and she would reveal to him the error of his ways if he remained in his spot. For, after she turned to face the new tree he was hiding behind, she thrust the bubble his way in almost slingshot fashion, the leopard spinning inside briefly as it was thrown toward him, but being released from the bubble shortly after. She didn't stay in the same spot, either, choosing to run behind the leopard as cover while drawing water from the grass beside her, if he were to remain still after she threw the animal at him.

Her curiosity would remain after the fact regarding that leopard, however. Although, she hadn't seen his pet wolf since the fight began. It was entirely possible it was more of a pet shapeshifter...