It was fight or flight. That's what Fallow's deer brain--and his normal brain, for that matter-- was screaming.
And unfortunately for Lijuan, he chose fight.
In an instant the man shifted from deer to bear beneath the kirin. He was nearly twice the size of a draft horse, and was just a hulking mass of brown fur and long dark claws. Heart pounding, he let out an immense roar in her face and swung with a mighty paw. He connected with scaled flesh and sent the kirin flying off him with comparative ease, which was unsurprising, given his massive size.
The bear quickly rolled to his feet, black eyes fixed on Lijuan, and his expression quickly changed to one of abject horror (though he supposed to an onlooker it may as well have looked like a bear opening its mouth in a silent roar). Fallow hurried towards her, appearing as nothing more than a streak of glossy brown fur that changed into the familiar pale tone of his skin. "Oh my gods!" he called, kneeling down at her side. "I'm s-so s-sorry! Y-you sc-scared me and I-I-I just-- Oh gods, I'm s-sorry!" Fallow held out trembling hands as if to touch her, but they never quite came close enough to Lijuan to actually make contact.
"Ooooh no oh no oh no she's going to kill me!" He ran his hands through his hair. "A-and I'd d-deserve it! GODS, FALLOW, you're a m-man, not an animal!" He rose to his feet and began pacing frantically, as if the motion would tell him what to do. What if he broke her ribs? What if he killed her!? Oh GODS he didn't know how to take care of a body! Buring an animal was nothing like burying a person! There was no way she'd be dead from just a swat, right? Sh-she was tough as nails!
"Lijuan? A-are you o-okay?"
Gods that was a stupid question, and the regret he felt after asking it was palpable.
And unfortunately for Lijuan, he chose fight.
In an instant the man shifted from deer to bear beneath the kirin. He was nearly twice the size of a draft horse, and was just a hulking mass of brown fur and long dark claws. Heart pounding, he let out an immense roar in her face and swung with a mighty paw. He connected with scaled flesh and sent the kirin flying off him with comparative ease, which was unsurprising, given his massive size.
The bear quickly rolled to his feet, black eyes fixed on Lijuan, and his expression quickly changed to one of abject horror (though he supposed to an onlooker it may as well have looked like a bear opening its mouth in a silent roar). Fallow hurried towards her, appearing as nothing more than a streak of glossy brown fur that changed into the familiar pale tone of his skin. "Oh my gods!" he called, kneeling down at her side. "I'm s-so s-sorry! Y-you sc-scared me and I-I-I just-- Oh gods, I'm s-sorry!" Fallow held out trembling hands as if to touch her, but they never quite came close enough to Lijuan to actually make contact.
"Ooooh no oh no oh no she's going to kill me!" He ran his hands through his hair. "A-and I'd d-deserve it! GODS, FALLOW, you're a m-man, not an animal!" He rose to his feet and began pacing frantically, as if the motion would tell him what to do. What if he broke her ribs? What if he killed her!? Oh GODS he didn't know how to take care of a body! Buring an animal was nothing like burying a person! There was no way she'd be dead from just a swat, right? Sh-she was tough as nails!
"Lijuan? A-are you o-okay?"
Gods that was a stupid question, and the regret he felt after asking it was palpable.
