"No!" Kel saw the impending attack and began to run, bare feet traveling over the rocks and shells of the tide pool in a scramble that left a half dozen shallow cuts even through his calluses. He didn't notice them, hurrying as fast as he could instead to close the distance between himself and the scuffle occurring a little ways away. He couldn't hear Rance's angry challenge to the cat, but he could see him narrowly avoid the swipe of the clawed paw. His heart was in his throat for his friend, and the cat was both angry and bewildered at the unexpected aggression from the big black bird and the large human crashing towards it.
It backed off a step, then another as Kel yelled and grabbed another stone, tossing it wildly and getting a lucky strike in on the leopard's head. It yowled and backpedaled into the underbrush, disappearing into the shadows and sun dapples beneath the jungle's edge as the former wind-spirit came panting up to the ledge where the calf lay. It shifted and began to push itself up a little woozily, green fluid welling from the scratches the cat had left in its rosette-spotted hide as the mother descended to meet it, keeping a wary eye on Kel and Rance both.
"Rance! Are you hurt?" As much as he wanted to check on the mantas, Kel's first instinct was to look the raven over for any injuries his friend might have sustained with his heroics.
It backed off a step, then another as Kel yelled and grabbed another stone, tossing it wildly and getting a lucky strike in on the leopard's head. It yowled and backpedaled into the underbrush, disappearing into the shadows and sun dapples beneath the jungle's edge as the former wind-spirit came panting up to the ledge where the calf lay. It shifted and began to push itself up a little woozily, green fluid welling from the scratches the cat had left in its rosette-spotted hide as the mother descended to meet it, keeping a wary eye on Kel and Rance both.
"Rance! Are you hurt?" As much as he wanted to check on the mantas, Kel's first instinct was to look the raven over for any injuries his friend might have sustained with his heroics.
