This time she hit her target dead on, the creature giving another yowl of pain. But this time, it also zeroed in on the location of its somewhat more distant source of torment and turned to snarl at Mal specifically. It crouched as well as it could with its injury, ready to bound toward the young woman.

And it almost succeeded in taking a step in her direction, before Sylvando slashed at one of its rear legs too, effectively preventing it from either fleeing or charging in the foreseeable future. "Oh no you don't, kitty," he said as it turned back to face him, dodging its clumsy slash. "It's me you want, not the lovely young lady with the apples."