By the time I register the rustle, it's too late to get back to the tree even if I wanted to try climbing it without my jeans to protect me from the bark. Instead, I grab my trousers and gird myself for battle. They're still faintly damp, but right now I don't care.

I don't think I've ever dressed this quickly before.

By the time the rustle turns into a roar and an oversized hunting cat pounces from the evening shadows, my knife is in my hand and I stand ready to meet its charge.

"Bless!"

Power flows through me, lending an edge of clarity to my perception, just enough to see how I need to move.

I twist away, allowing the hunting cat to pass me by, the wind of its passage rustling my hair as it snarls in fury at missing its prey.

"No dinner for you!" I raise my blade and lunge after it, hoping to catch it unprepared, but before I get close something about the situation feels off. Trusting my instincts, I drop to the ground instead.

A second cat lands right where I would have been if I'd kept moving. The first comes to a sudden stop at the same moment. It turns, lightning-fast, and rushes me again.

I roll away and scramble to my feet, heart thudding faster than I've ever felt before today.

This time there's no freeze instinct accompanying the immediate 'I'm going to die'; I flip straight into attack mode.

"Needs salt!" I shout as the first cat nears, pointing my free hand at its face, envisioning a blinding spray of salt.

[Profession abilities are currently unavailable. Please try again later.]

Needless to say, nothing else happens. No rush of energy up my arm, no magic salt to blind my foes.

But the 'please try again later' does remind me that I've leveled up since I last fought. Maybe now...

"Haste!"

[All available spell slots are filled. Please try again later.]

Cursing the system under my breath, I lunge to meet the charge of the nearest cat with my knife extended.

The cats aren't huge, not like a tiger or lion, but definitely bigger than a housecat. Like if a golden retriever were a saber-toothed lion thing.

The lack of hugeness diminishes their terrifying nature not at all. In fact, it makes it very clear that even if I'd been able to reach my safe refuge tree, it would have done me little good. These cats can almost certainly climb better and faster than I can.

The first cat sidesteps my lunge. The second rushes in to swipe with its claws.

I twist at the last second and slam my knife into its shoulder. Its claws still connect, drawing a deep gouge across my side. At least it wasn't my throat.

Still, I think I came out worse in that exchange. The cat bounds past me, my knife still in its shoulder.

"Hey! I need that!"

The other cat slams into me, my distraction giving it an opening, and only instinct allows me to catch its throat in both hands as it bowls me to the ground before it can sink its overly-long fangs into my throat.

"Seriously? Why does everything in this place want to tear my throat out! It's not very hospitable of you! No wonder you're not a bustling tourist destination!"

The cats don't take kindly to my insults. The one on top of me wrenches free of my grip. Before I even register what's happening it bites down on my hand and runs, wrenching my arm with a painful twist.

I roar, more in frustration than anything. Adrenaline is doing a good job of whiting out any but the most distant of pain sensations, but I want my knife back and I want to stop being attacked by random beasts! Is that too much to ask?

I swing my other fist at the cat trying to drag me off, hitting it in the side of the head with a solid smack. Then when that seems to have no effect, I roll and bunch up, slamming my knees both into the cat's skull.

The crack vibrates up and down from the impact point, leaving my legs numb and tingling. I don't care. I'll heal it afterward. Right now, I'll do whatever it takes to win.

The cat opens its mouth to snarl at me and I yank my arm free, then throw one leg over its neck and clamp down on it forming a triangle with my thighs and calf like a wrestler.

But I don't have time to choke it out, because the second cat is still in the game. I have less than a second to think as it closes in.

I'm not going to let the other cat go. I decide that even as I stare death in the face, the knifed cat bounding back to the fight with obvious relish for my soon-to-be demise.

With my legs occupied, that just leaves my fists.

I refuse to die here. I'm going to become strong enough to teleport, or I'm going to advance technology enough to build a space ship, or something equally dramatic, because I will not let my past mistakes go uncorrected.

Channeling every ounce of my determination, I batter the attacking cat with punches. I aim mostly for its face or for the hilt of my knife - I may not be able to grab it to pull free, but I can certainly see to it that it does as much damage as possible.

I barely even notice that I'm laughing, crushing one cat with my legs, battering another with my fists. Both continue to claw and shred me but I hardly notice.

I'm not going to back down. I'm going to win. Whatever it costs.

By the time the first cat falls limp, and the second turns and flees - still taking my knife with it, the jerk - my throat is hoarse from laughter and there are tears running down my face, the sheer insanity of it all making it impossible to sort out my feelings.

It takes three times casting Heal before my injuries are all corrected, but at the end of it...

*DING!*

[Healer level increased! Keep up the good work.]

"At least one of us is happy, then," I mutter at the system message. "Won't get me my knife back."

*DING!*

[New Quest! Retrieve Knife from Schang Cat. Time remaining: 2 days]

"..."