Dawnlark Plains The eye of the tiger

While Aditya and Sunny handled the cat from the front, Shale began his assault in the back, lips pulled back to reveal a snarl. The two were doing a great job at keeping it distracted, though he did worry for his nephew when the cat swatted, spitting. Shale began to nip at its hindquarters, hoping that it would become overwhelmed by the assault and run away.

After landing a particularly fierce blow, Shale was shocked as the cat spun around, hissing at him. Before he could react, the paw had struck the side of his face like lightning, leaving a slightly deep crimson gash just below his left eye, scoring his cheekbone. Ignoring the blinding pain, Shale backed up, growling, fur bristled out to its full size.

Alarmed, Aditya looked at Sunny for a brief instant, then began to attack the now turned-around cougar, hoping to keep it out of range of Shale. It certainly was putting up a fight.