Saat'bas grinned more as the man laughed. He could feel the mortal's joy, it spread a warmth and energy through him that was difficult to explain in words. He kept with the human until the other collapsed to the ground. Crouching down, he gently settled his fingers against the man's throat.
The human was still alive. It seemed he had simply been too exhausted to Revel long. A pity. There could've been so much more.
Saat'bas didn't think to harm him, though. There was no sport in killing someone in their sleep. Instead, he stroked the man's black hair, ridding it of the mud and debris still caught in it. He did the same for the mortal's clothes, then fetched the blanket and covered him. He sat, considering whether or not he wanted to Call others in from the village.
Before he'd made a decision, though, the sound of footsteps caught his ear. Saat'bas turned his head towards it. There was a parade of thoughts through his mind about what to do. He chose to slip off into the underbrush, to see who approached.
It was the young man he'd been watching in the village. With a little burst of feral joy, he stalked around to put himself between the newcomer and the houses.
The man was busy striding towards Jonathon. He hadn't any idea what the stranger was doing out here. It looked he might've been having a picnic and fallen asleep. A dangerous thing to do, even this close to La'marri. He was about to kneel down and shake the other awake when he heard a very disconcerting growl behind him.
Saat'bas revealed himself much as he had to the mage. Only this time, he wasn't going to be persuaded out of his hunt. He still wanted it and this one had been his original target to begin with. He grinned, not in a friendly way at all, showing the humans his fangs and flexing his fingers to display his claws.
The young man did as anyone might, he stumbled back in surprise and a bit of fear. He held out his axe defensively. It was fairly obvious, though, that he wasn't used to using it as a weapon.
"Here now, you go away and leave us alone." His voice trembled a bit and he didn't like the expression on that green one's face. He shook his axe in an attempt to frighten the creature away.
Saat'bas took a few creeping steps forward, growling all the while. The human swung his axe when the green thing got too close. Saat'bas ducked under the clumsy strikes, easily avoiding them. He allowed the man to show his courage and skill. Then, with a well-aimed swipe of his clawed fingers, he knocked the makeshift weapon free of the other's hands. He opened his jaws to reveal just how sharp and long those fangs were.
The young man took the hint. He ran. Instinct drove him to run in the exact opposite direction of Saat'bas, which was also straight into the forest, away from the village and any possible help.
Saat'bas bolted after him, keeping close behind. He darted back and forth, sometimes coming close enough to strike at the young man. The human sprinted like a frightened deer. He unwittingly let Saat'bas lead him, moving away when the other came close, then veering the other way when suddenly the green being was in front of him. The manuevoring left him confused and too flustered to devise any strategy to escape.
When he began to get winded and slow, Saat'bas brought the chase to an end. He lept at the human. His clawed hands reached out, ready to hook into the mortal's flesh, and his fangs were poised, ready to sink into the unprotected neck.
The impact sent them rolling over the forest floor. They landed in the midst of several tall plants and bushes, shielding them from view. The leaves shook from the short, but violent struggle, then went still.
If anyone were to come through later, they might find laying in the lofty weeds the remains of a young man who never returned from his woodcutting chores.