A deep snarl drew across Alexei’s face as the humans made their presence known. The two male warriors and the heavily-armored female were the first to catch his attention, and at once his mind took off. One of the warriors looked much more stalwart than the other; still, both had many vulnerabilities; could likely be dealt with quickly. The female could be tougher, her armor likely to block or deflect any attempts at attack against her; nonetheless, she sacrificed mobility for that protection; likely easily sent to a place where her armor would do her no good… And speaking of females…<br/><br/>Despite his ears perking up at the whisper of the arrows slicing the evening air, Alexei was not quite quick enough on his feet to dodge the surprise attack. With two resounding thwacks, he heard the stone tips of the projectiles puncture his leather outfit and sink into his flesh, and beneath the cool mythril of his armor he could feel the burn of his wounds and the warm trickle of his blood. However, the two peashooters were hardly enough to bring down or even seriously hinder the wolf, as he simply hunched his body and lowered his head in reaction to the recoil. Then, he turned his glare up to his assailants… and this time, they had taken on a mysterious, bright… and angry shade of emerald green.<br/><br/>“You shot first. Nothing will save you now…”<br/><br/>From the corner of his eye, he cast a quick glance at his companions, and a small huff escaped his nose upon seeing they had sustained injuries as well. Xali seemed to have come off the worst of the three, haven taken a nasty gash to the abdomen from one of the charging warriors. Fortunately, the small shrimpy one had been the one to target her, and given the knack for strategy the leopardess had shown he felt she would be able to match him. As for Kahmori…<br/><br/>The other human warrior, haven brazenly charged in for the attack, had spilled some of the kitsune’s blood over his chest, but in no way could it compare to the spectacle that followed. Even in his bloodlust Alexei found himself mesmerized by his companion as he retaliated, blow after blow smoothly and cleanly decimating his foe. Moments later, the human, once the most hardy and stalwart of the crew, collapsed in a battered, bloody and all-around destroyed heap. The lupine blinked his eyes. For all his immaturity, he sure made one hell of a fighter.<br/><br/>Once his stunned body loosened up slightly, he again let his predatory snarl once again cross his face, charged and pumped up by Kahmori’s flawless assault. Although he felt some slight worry towards the leopardess, the large fox had taken a defensive move beside her, and between the two of them Alexei was sure the remaining two who had been foolish enough to come toe-to-toe wouldn’t be long for the world. That just left him to cover and take care of his own two demons…<br/><br/>(Ranged attack 1 vs. Mariel: 1d20(3) + 10 = 13; Miss)<br/>(Ranged attack 2 vs. Mariel: 1d20(15) + 5 = 20; Hit!)<br/>(Damage: 1d8(7) + 5 = 12)<br/><br/>Alexei cursed under as his first shot sailed past the two petite archers, the arrow sliding away out of sight into the bushes. Luckily, his second shot made amends, and with a swift whish his well-tuned bow, calibrated specifically for his use, hurled the razor tipped stick solidly into one of the archer’s chest. Alas, the lupine was far from satisfied. While a decent marksman compared with some, it was not his field of specialty, and he would only be able to do so much from a distance. Now that he had softened them up slightly it was time to fulfill his promise. Another heated growl vibrated in his throat whilst he crouched down slightly, poised to move out of their comfort zone… and into his.