As he made a somewhat ostentatious exit, leaving a wake of destruction behind him, Jitoru, for a minute, fell into a state of relief.  It was a bad mistake.  Various thuds and crashes echoed through her ears, seeming to grow fainter, then a few blessed moments of silence.  She let out a breath... and then her comfort was shattered at the reemergence of the creature before her... and then annihilated by the tail at her neck.  Now for a moment the girl was totally stock-still, her eyes wide and frozen in fear, staring blindly ahead.  Then a sort of choked half-gasp escaped her lips, and she took to quivering.  Slowly, she pressed herself against the tree, her chin nudging the tail.<span style="font-style: italic">Please don't hurt me</span>, she prayed silently, biting her lip.