The Puppy Siblings

They are part of nature's bestiary
merciless savages, muscle and sinew
tooth and claw, exhilarated by the
red flush of conquest, each intent
on capturing the initiative, taunting
one another to hardened battle
no quarter given, none expected
in their furious drive to win advantage.
Fearless and uninhibited they snarl
and threaten then close in for the
lunge, the parry, the thrust, their
rapier-sharp teeth prepared to exact
maximum damage. Wrestling one
another to the ground, snapping and
growling, they break into a whirlwind
chase, a blur of flying black fur,
one leading, the other feinting and
a short cut succeeding in breaking 
the mad momentum. Exhausted,
their lunatic fury dissipated, they
caress one another's eyes, licking
away umbrage, curl into a close
ball of sleepy puppyhood, and doze.