things can really get rough when you go it alone

Io got in the way, and he growled at her, eyes a little wild. He could not take on a bear alone. He had taken on a few in his time, and always in a group. The one time he had been cornered alone, a stranger had come to his aid, elsewise he would have been nothing but bear-meat. His nostrils flared angrily, frightened more for Io’s sake then his own. He would never abandon her, he would make her run and meet his fate. He just had a feeling she would not leave him, and they would die together. He could imagine nothing worse, then failing to save her, to make her flee.

Why would he give a shit if some stranger lost his legs? He was the idiot for getting in the path of a bear in the first place. He would not lose his sister to the foolishness of others. Sirius dropped the man with a grunt, and non-to-gently. “I don’t like this, Io. I wont lose you to a bear.” nonetheless, he took a step back, and Bast arrived at the top of the entrance downwards. His companion took point, keeping watch, and Sirius waited (impatiently) to assist Io in healing.