Cold Baby

It was cold and it was dark, but that wasn't the most of Ashmedai's problems today. He had only come here to see if he could find some more trinkets to carry around. Instead, he came face to face with the sleeping form of a wild cat of some sort. All Ash could think was, "Shit." Even though the words were hushed, one rounded, feline ear flicked back. Ashmedai made an attempt to slowly back away as the cat's head tilted and rotated to face him. Its shimmering little eyes locked onto him and immediately its lips curled into a... growl? A hiss? Ash wasn't sure, he was too busy backpedaling to pay any real attention.

No matter how much he tried, though, he already knew there was no escaping this without a scuffle. Well, he wasn't really looking for a fight this time, but he got one anyway. Ashmedai braced himself, thankful he was wearing his protective harness and not his floral shirt today. There was only a brief moment of pause before the cat was up on all fours and launching itself at Ash. Ash, in turn, recoiled and set his defenses. His toes were cold and numb which wasn't helping anything. It was just his paw pads really, but it made digging his nails into the freeze hardened dirt all that much harder.

His other defenses were easy enough to set. His hackles effortlessly laced up his back and everything else fell into place much in the same way. In that split second of time, the cat had time to balance itself as well before it launched another attack. It jumped at Ash, long claws reaching out to close the distance between them. Each time, Ash only had time to back away just enough to where the cat's claws would be just out of range and by the time he had successfully gotten out of range, the cat was already launching another attack.

The two went around and around like this for a while. Ashmedai struggled to think clearly when he was always on the retreating end of this exchange. He considered letting the cat hit his harness, but depending on how angry the cat was, it could fight past the pain of the spikes and if it got a good grip on Ash, there was no promising that it would let him go any time soon.

So Ash reasoned that he needed a tactic to make the cat recoil. He didn't really have that much leverage to work out a more detailed plan with the cat coming at him again, so he just did what felt natural. As the cat lunged at him, Ash bolted forward, seeking to drive his shoulder spikes into the cat's open chest. He didn't intend to stop there, though. If he did, then the cat's paws could quickly wrap around him and trap him in a deadly embrace. Once he shoved forward, Ash tried to get a feel for which side of the cat he could escape to. As he made contact with the cat, it let out a yowl. Yowling was good, it meant that he probably- hopefully- inflicted some pain onto the creature. As he pressed, he felt the cat's balance shift a little to its right and Ash used that to his benefit in order to escape in that direction. He tried to drag his harnessed shoulder across as he escaped, but time was of the essence so Ash opted for lighter contact in lieu of moving a little faster.

After he got around to the back side of the cat, Ashmedai was finally able to unleash some attacks of his own. He turned and launched himself onto the cat's back, sinking his teeth into the cat's right shoulder. The cat twisted and turned, batting at Ash with its paws, but as long as he kept his ears down and his shoulders hunched forward, the cat could only make contact with his harness. Still, Ash could feel his grip slowly slipping.

Ash was faced with a decision. He either needed to let go or he had to readjust his grip. If he tried to readjust his grip and failed, he would be right in range of the cat. Of course, if he was successful, he could deal more damage. The last option was kicking off the cat as far as he could. That would give him distance to think or flee before the cat could respond.

He decided the last choice was the best since he really didn't feel like getting his harness shredded or becoming the cat's scratching mat any time soon. Ash tightened his grip as well as he could so that he could coil his back legs under himself and onto the cats back. It was easier said than done since the cat- for some reason- wouldn't stop squirming. When Ash finally got ready, he let go as soon at the cat's paw withdrew from hitting him and kicked back. When his paws hit the firm ground once again, he sprang back several paces, his eyes never leaving the cat.

He didn't have to worry, however, because the cat had apparently had enough. It skittered and bolted through the foliage with a speed and chaotic nature that was only possible for a retreating or scared cat. Ash waited a moment to catch his breath before turning and felling himself. There were still trinkets to be found, after all.