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"Ah, an underhanded tactic... sounds familiar," he smirked at her. "You're smart; shouldn't leave loose ends like that. They always become a problem later." That was one of the benefits of targeting other purewalkers: no one came looking for him for revenge. He was not concerned with others seeking him to kill him -- he welcomed challengers -- but if they interfered with his life in such a manner like the Angeni in Kiyo's... that would be very aggravating.

"So, what about your future soldiers? Will you have more, and keep the Angeni away?"

He waited before answering her questions, pondering his response. "I'll keep perfecting my art," he stated simply at first, leaving a window for her to criticize his simplicity. Then, he continued. "I also want to train an apprentice, like my master taught me. I want my efforts to carry on after my death, and my name to be remembered." His gaze intensified with his certainty. "I will make sure my legend lives on forever."

"Nah, kidnapping isn't my style... guess that only leaves me with the other option." Her next remark felt like a challenge, and he accepted. He learned forward, the proximity of their faces decreasing. "Watch me."

He raised his eyebrows, tails twitching with anticipation. "You wanna dance with me?"

Ashura smiled with her agreement, and rose to his paws. His expression fell when an unpleasant smell greeted his nostrils, a loud, thudding sound following shortly afterwards. He whipped his head in the direction of this trespasser, and he chuckled. "You're gonna have to wait, weasel," he teased, "it looks like your traps didn't work." The terrible scent and rumbling sounds told them all that they needed to know: an ursine skinwalker had found his way into the woodland. Perhaps they were rather close to that demonic tree from which their kind emerged, since now there were three skinwalkers in such close proximity to one another.

He briefly turned back to Kiyo, gesturing in the direction of the bearwalker. "Come, I'll show you what the 'toy' can do." He went forward, marching boldly through the trees. He did not care if the bear detected his presence; he wanted an honest duel and would confront his opponent directly. He did not dwell on whether or not the weasel would follow, for he was focused on his new task. Ashura's mind was as controlled as his movements, and, if she watched, she would witness just how deadly he was.

It did not take long to find the offender. The bear had heard the kitsune's approach and saved him some travel time. The enormous, dirty brown mass stood on his hind legs towering over Ashura, the still rather tall, lean, pristine fox wielding a sword in his mouth. The beast roared, dropped onto his forepaws, and charged.

Ashura had become adept at drowning out noise, paying no mind to anything unrelated to the challenge before him or another threat in the vicinity. His focus was solely on the bear rapidly closing the distance between him. It always amazed him that creatures so large could move so fast.

Although, not nearly fast enough.

The bear came within striking distance, never stopping to consider why the white walker remained so still in the face of death. When the bear rose in hopes to bring the kitsune down, Ashura stepped out, pushing off his hind legs at just the right moment. He dropped his weight, twisting his joints, and generated force with his entire body beginning with his hips rather than his neck alone. He channeled his momentum into the blade, which he thrust into the bear's left side. The silver glided into the bear's exposed chest, piercing his heart.

He drew out his blade, and the bear collapsed. Though Ashura disliked blood on his fur, it complemented his red accents. He turned towards Kiyo in her tree with a smug look on his face, waiting for her response.

Ashura flicked the blood off his blade, then sheathed it against his side. "I told you bearwalkers were easy to handle. Stupid and predictable." He huffed, amused by her explanation. "Just admit you're happy I was here to save you, weasel."

He followed her to the spring, undressing before entering the cool waters. The fresh blood lifted from his white fur, and he began dabbing it out of his clothes before the stain set. Luckily, the blood landed mostly on him rather than his garments, so washing would not take too long -- not nearly as long as washing the dirt from them earlier.

"I'll take that," he chuckled, then eyed the coyote with a faint grin. "So, what about our dance?"

That smug expression remained on his face, and he rose from the spring, advancing towards the coyote. His weapon lay forgotten at the water's edge, an indication that he had other intentions than killing her. Although female skinwalkers were not spared from his duels due to their sex, he understood that they served other purposes. With vanquishing the bear, his need to kill was temporarily satisfied, shifting his motivations. He deserved a reward for his rescue effort.

"How about now?"

He laughed again. His tails swayed behind him, betraying his excitement. In the immediate moment, he was far more interested in instant gratification. If, somehow, this encounter was productive, there was a chance he would return in pursuit of his legacy. There were multiple factors important to that endeavor, none of which he considered at the time. Just as in combat, Ashura was very good at drowning out the noise, his focus solely on his prize.

"That depends -" he took one more step forward, only a paw's width separating the two skinwalkers "- if you can you take the lead from me."