April wants a shot at her.

Texas stepped forward, ready to throw herself at the threat before them. April put her arm out and stopped her, her fists clenched tight as she glared at Fang.

"Texas, you don't gotta get your hands dirty dealing with this runt. Let me take care of her" the fox said with a smirk. Texas wasn't quite as confident. While April certainly knew how to handle herself in a scuffle, it was no secret that her skills didn't quite stack up to that of her partner's.

"Are ya sure about that, April? It ain't even been a week since yer last tussle" she said concernedly.

"Oh please. I've walked away from way worse than that tarted up hussy!" April said with a snort. "Remember when Georgia kidnapped me and used me as a saddle cover for three whole days? After you rescued me, I still came to work the next day!"

Texas grimaced as she recalled the details of that assorted affair. She had tasked April with scooping out a shack outside of town that had been gaining a steady amount of traffic at that time. It turns out Georgia had been gather a crew together to smuggle counterfeit silver into another county. Unfortunately, April had gotten a little too bold with her investigation and was spotted by Georgia's cronies. When she didn't report back right away, Texas took matters into her own hands and, after a lengthy chase, managed to free her deputy. The fox remained resilient throughout the hellish ordeal and she was back in the office like nothing had happened... though it took a solid week of constant bathing for her to remove the stench of Georgia's ass from her body.

"Ah mean, ah get where yer comin from. Ah just think we're better off workin as a team is all" Texas said as she patted her friend on the shoulder.

"If I may interrupt," Fang cut in with her arms folded. "When I extended the invitation to your little sidekick, it was more of a courtesy than an actual challenge. I hadn't actually expected the weakling to show up."

Texas winced as she saw April's expression souring from the corner of her eye. The fox was already worked up after being brushed aside in Fang's note. Being dismissed in person only served to stoke the fires even further. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she pushed Texas aside and began advancing towards the arrogant panda. Fang sighed wearily as it became clear that she had no intention of backing down.

"Are you really so **** to meet your end? I've already had my fill of weaklings on my trip here. Run along now before-"

April silenced the panda's ramblings with a jab so swift and sharp that it whipped her head back. That attack was immediately followed up by a harsh knee to the stomach as April grabbed onto Fang's shoulders and pulled her into to really drive it in deep. April smirked as a wheeze escaped the panda's lips. She leaned her head against Fang's scrawny shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"... hit pretty good for a sidekick, don't I?"

With her point proven, April roughly shoved Fang into the dirt before dusting herself off. The panda crumpled to the ground in a pathetic heap and moaning in pain as she clutched her stomach. The anger April felt ebbed away as she watched the pitiful display in surprise. Was this really the feared hitman who demolished an entire gang of outlaws singlehandedly. Seeing her fall so easily made her feel a tinge of guilt. Just as she stepped forward try and lend aid, Fang jumped to her feet, her face barely an inch from April's as she grinned at the startled deputy.

"Indeed~"

April's eyes widened. Her instincts told her to step back and create some distance between them, but that only resulted in her falling to her back as Fang swept her leg. Fang used the momentum of the leg sweep to twirl around and deliver a spinning overhead karate chop to April's chest, though the fox managed to roll out of the way just in time to avoid it.

*SNAP!!*

An heart rattling noise rang through the air, startling April and Texas. It sounded like the discharge of a firearm and was almost as loud. The spot that April had rolled away from now had a small crater embedded in it with smoke rising from the bottom. April looked back at Fang with narrowed eyes, suspecting that the assassin was in possession of some sort of hidden weapon.

"Rise to you feet, little one!" Fang ordered sharply with her hands on her hips. "We've only just begun!"

April grunted as she pushed herself to her feet. She kept her focus trained on her opponent, though she made note of the hole beside her. It was far too large to have been caused by a bullet, being roughly the size of her torso. She had a hard time picturing what sort of blunt instrument Fang could've had on her person that was small enough to keep hidden while also being heavy enough to cause real damage. She opted to ignore it for the moment as she jumped back into the fray, each punch thrown with bad intentions. Actually landing those punches was easier said than done, however. She had managed to catch Fang off guard with her initial attack, but the scrawny panda proved much more elusive than expected as she weaved and slipped each punch with ease.

After a minute of hitting nothing but air, April's flurry began to peter out, sweat forming under her brow as the adrenaline driving her onward began to wane. Meanwhile, Fang didn't seem to exhaust any energy as she continued to duck, weave, and side step every punch thrown her way. The playful smugness on her face waned as she looked at the deputy with a disappointed glare. With a huff, she reared her hand back and, after slipping past a right straight from April, countered with a palm thrust to the jaw that knocked the deputy for a loop. Everything was hazy, her eyes crossing as she struggled to stay upright. Before she could regain her senses, the world suddenly went dark for her. She briefly felt a moment of weightlessness before feeling an intense pressure on her head that left it flattened against the ground.

While the deputy wasn't able to see what had just happened, her partner had seen it all. At first she thought she was seeing things, but her deputy's pancaked head in the dirt confirmed her suspicions. Somehow, and she see had a hard time believing it, Fang's hand had grown to the size of a catcher's mitt and smothered April's face before driving into the earth. She narrowed her eyes as watched the panda dust her hands off, both of them their normal small size.

"Well, you got your wish. Now, you stay here while your partner and I handle business" she stated firmly before turning her attention over to Texas. The weasel huffed and got into a boxing stance as Fang approached her with an eager smile.