Moraxia seemed to feed off of the very same energy in the air, and Raela found herself appreciating the woman's light-hearted reaction. She was still very sure that her decision to bring in this new recruit had been a good one. With a tongue as quick and playfully cutting as her own, the challenge was accepted with zeal. The words themselves dug at her somewhere deep down, but she swallowed it. It was nothing but a tease as she herself had given. Nothing more. Yet it was hard to not feel the tinge after a life of hearing the same thing spoken seriously. Nevertheless she moved past it with a continued smile. 

All of a sudden the situation was real, and still the older woman felt much less fear here than she did with Gent or Aeus. Moraxia was new; distant in relation to her compared to the others. There was less pressure to look good in front of her, and since the air felt of nothing but good-natured sport, it put the normally frazzled female at relative ease. She grinned back with an inquisitive lifting of one brow. She'd have to be swift; have to keep her body out of the woman's reach for as long as possible or it would be game over. She could feel that the other woman wanted to make the first move; her body practically radiated with the building tension as the moment of conflict neared. Raela's sharp golden eyes were trained on her adversary as Moraxia's hulking form abruptly left the ground and barreled ahead. 

Fully ready and prepared for the attack she danced to the side; but didn't find herself predicting the body-slam. Instead of teeth or legs she collided roughly with shoulder, stumbling to the side as the would-be guardian swung past. An idea clicked into place behind her glimmering eyes, and she lashed out. Her teeth closed squarely and tightly around the mammoth's tail, and Raela gave it a good tug more out of mischievousness than a desire to wound or to win. The smile on her face was broad as her eyes flicked upward in preparation for Moraxia's imminent and certain retaliation. She found herself wanting to chuckle a bit at her successful jeer. 

The look on Moraxia's face at first surprised her a little, but as soon as it melted into a smile her concern vanished. It was irritating to be sure; to have another make a joke out of the first few moves of a fight. Still, she hoped that the fact that it was just a joke, would stick. Moraxia meant business, and now Raela would have to as well. Rae returned the growl with a high-pitched rumbling of her own and a toss of her head with the female's tail still held tight. When the other wolf moved, Raela's grip pulled her along. The huge woman was now barreling toward her, and sure to land a hit. Hurriedly her jaws parted to release the appendage, though she was still in Moraxia's path. 

She moved only fast enough to escape the full force of the impact. Her opponent's limbs still struck, but on the side of her shoulders. The lighter girl was sent staggering to the side on jostled feet, her head whipping around to face the attacker. Had she been any slower she might have fallen over, or worse; grabbed. Balance was maintained but only barely, and the force behind those massive paws was probably going to leave a bruise. Oh well, all in good fun! Thinking quickly; and knowing that Moraxia was likely to push her advantage by charging again while Raela was still recovering, she swung her hindquarters away; trying to face her head on. If there was less space to hit, there would be less chance of being hit. 

In one fluid motion she continued the counterattack; lunging for the female's side in much the way she had done to Vitani. This time though, she wouldn't be applying enough pressure to break skin. She was aimed instead for the patch of extra fur behind the shoulder, lifting her front limbs and trying desperately to get herself above the mammoth girl. Though there was always the danger of retaliation. 

It was satisfying to feel that her teeth had hit their mark despite the much larger woman's retreat. The moment was short lived however, as the female came into motion all at once. Knowing full well that an attack was coming, she opened her mouth only once Moraxia had pulled her aside. Her cranium swung away, trying to bring the rest of her body with it but she was a half-second too late. Teeth closed on her scruff and yanked the smaller woman back with a force. Planting her feet firmly on the ground did little to prevent the weight the Guardian-to-be was now putting on her neck. Her face wrinkled into a grimace as she called on the bulk of her muscles to resist. 

The weight then changed, and Moraxia was trying to pull her off balance; to knock her to the ground. In a panicked last-ditch effort to do something, the subordinate lashed out with her teeth; trying to get one last hold on the woman's neck in return, but she closed her fangs on air as her smaller frame fell. The next moment her body had hit the ground with a thud, and Moraxia was above her. Once Raela's eyes had opened again post-impact she stared upwards at the victor. The fact of the matter sunk in, and a grin slid slowly across her face. As was customary, her tail came to rest against her stomach and her ears went back. Moraxia had earned it. 

As soon as she felt the other's teeth leave her pelt, Raela giggled with a wider grin and rolled over so she could get back on her feet. With a brisk shake of her pelt the dirt was sent flying, and if it hit Moraxia then she would only laugh. Her body was still charged after their scuffle, and having fought someone for sport instead of training or aggression was a lovely change of pace. They'd have to tussle some more some time. Finally ready to get back to what they were doing, she rounded on the mammoth female. “You'll make a fine guardian,” she said with some degree of mock pomp and circumstance while bowing in exaggeration. The mischievous grin was still plain on her face. “C'mon.” she chuffed at last, turning back to the borders and breaking into a jog. 

-Fade-