Battlefield

When she came to, she felt hot, putrid breath blasting in her face. Blinking, her vision was nothing but black. A yawn escaped Zenobia's as she tried regaining clarity. She felt that black oddity brush against her cheek. Dull red overcame her sight before she shivered. A cold, wet sensation dragged against her chin.

"Huh?" With another yawn she sat up, the creature that was a bit too close to her personal space thankfully moved away from her. Rubbing her eyes, the swirling greens and browns settled, revealing the forestry she decided to rest in. Her vision returned, allowing her to see what disturbed her in the first place.

"Well, aren't you a pretty thing?" Zenobia couldn't even be mad as the brick-colored golden retriever barked at her. It wagged its tail before sitting a few feet away from her, making the teen smile. Tentatively, she held out a hand, patiently waiting for her new companion to sniff her. She heard a whine bleed through while pressing that cold nose to her palm. The dog clearly wanted pets as it nuzzled the top of its head against her outstretched fingers.

Something she was more than happy to do. Soft fur slipped through her gentle strokes, that tail wagging faster with each brush. The canine in front of her was a big thing, at least a year old if not more. Its pink tongue darted out, licking wherever it could on the girl's arm, showing just as much affection.

"No tag?" There was a collar buried beneath those thick layers of mahogany fur, but there was no name or identification to be found. That was a bit concerning especially since she didn't see any sort of owner in plain view. From the looks of it, her new four-legged friend wasn't worried about that fact.

"Where's your owner?" Zenobia honestly hadn't planned on getting a response, but she did. A loud, clear bark right in her face. Her mouth opened when the dog took a couple steps back, twisting their body around. It stayed in place, glancing over its shoulder to stare in her direction, as if it wanted her to follow.

A bit weirded out and a little bit curious she throws all of her stuff back into her backpack before scrambling to her feet. Only when she started walking towards the retriever did it start its march towards the open field. Together, the human and dog pair made their way out of the trees. Suddenly a low growl escaped the animal in front of her, stopping their advance. She followed its gaze, narrowing her own in suspicion.

Not too far ahead, by the baseball spot closest to the basketball court was a group of boys, with one of them on the ground. Zenobia could hear a series of loud snickers, though if there were any conversations she couldn't tell. One thing was for sure in her mind. With the exception of the boy, with what looked to be a cheetah mask, which was lying on his side, these individuals there were bad news. Malicious delinquents, lovely.

"What's the matter, man? Why so down? Need a lift?" She saw one of them kick the down male in the stomach. She heard him choke, coughing while holding his now hurting belly. There was more laughter. The world blurred by until her fist smashed right up against the attacker's cheek. Adrenaline kicked in, sending her heart into overdrive as she realized her body was shielding the bullied victim.

"What the hell? Who are you?"

"Someone who's about to kick your ass if you don't leave him alone." If chills weren't crawling up her spine, she'd give herself a pat on the back. Normally she didn't have good comebacks when put under pressure. Better now than later as she glared through her mask. The guy she sent skidding across the dirt ground stood up.

"You with him?"

"No. But that doesn't mean I'll let you screw with him."

"Either way…you're going to pay for that." As much as she hated to admit it…the prick was probably right. She was outnumbered five to one. Chances were she was going to be walking out of this with some damage. That didn't mean she wasn't going to put up a fight. If anything, she intended to dish out just as much, if not more, than what she was going to receive.

Her hands were raised in front of her as she shifted her stance. Knees were not too loose nor too stiff, giving her better mobility. Crimson eyes watched each bit of subtle movement while they sneered in her direction. She slowed her breathing, steadying herself. Faintly she heard barking in the background, but she had to ignore that.

"Aw, isn't that cute. She thinks she can take us on, boys." They underestimated her, that was fine. More than fine really as she let her instincts kick in. With her first strike aiming for the closest opponent's junk. Using her dominant left leg she raised it in one swift sweep upwards. The instant reaction of her victim was bringing his hands down to move her leg away, giving her the opportunity to jab him right in the stomach. Her assault sent him on his back.

"You bitch!" They proceeded to pounce then; their battle cries rang in her ears. A flurry of punches and kicks spiraled in all directions. Zenobia lost track of everything but the pain that bloomed all over. She was seeing red; it drowned the rest of the colors around her as she bared her teeth. It felt like her hearing was muffled, like the curses and shouts that came from her opponents were far away.

She ducked her head avoiding one punch, her hips twisted to angle a side kick into someone's ribs. Leaning heavily on her right she uppercut another's jaw. Everything looked like it was in slow motion, allowing her to counter with her adaptable momentous maneuverability. Instinct was in charge. Just like a fox desperate to defend its territory, Zenobia was merciless in her strikes.

"Ahh!" Eventually her stamina began to run out. At the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of movement before she was nailed in the stomach with a harsh roundhouse kick. The force pushed her back. Her left side skidded across the ground.

Her mask caught onto the dirt, catching the various pebbles embedded into the surface. The leather cord was unable to handle the abuse, snapping apart just as the wooden frame cracked from the bottom up. Dust choked her lungs and caused her eyes to water without her mask's protection.

Before she could regain her bearings, she felt a heavy weight slam into her side. Yet she refused to cry out. Instead she angled her head, finding the ringleader glaring down at her with enraged eyes. Blood dribbled down his nose, staining his teeth, arguably looking the least wrecked by her hands. What few that weren't on the ground groaning in pain were staggering to his side, holding their injured limbs.

She smiled even when the heel of his shoe pressed more into her. They can say what they wished about the situation, but regardless of what they decided to do to her, she still won in the end. Their pride was torn to shreds along with feeling those aches and pains. They may hospitalize her, however there was no bit of regret found in her down frame.

If he was talking to her, she wasn't paying attention. All she could hear was barking. The leading antagonist lifted his leg high into the air, moving its shadow over Zenobia's head. She stared at his scuffed sneakers, unafraid. Waiting. She saw it descend down, drawing closer and closer, but it never reached her face.