Rat’s balance was impeccable at the best of times. Even then, it was likely the cetus could have shoved him over. The thing was massive. Certainly the thing knew it’s own strength, but perhaps, if the force wasn’t intended to shove him over, it wasn’t aware of just how light Jamie was. Or… quite how drunk he already was. He had no fat on his body to speak of, so it had settled in quickly.
As he pushed himself up and spit out some of the dirt that had somehow managed to get up his snow plow of a chin and into his mouth, he shot a nervous glare at the creature. Fear. And not aggressive fear. It was fear fear. The kind when he knew he was up against someone he knew he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) take in a fight.
“Aw why don’t y’fuckin’… pick on someone your own size y’giant… what even the fuck are ya, eh? Did a dragon fuck a shark?” He gave a hoarse giggle at the thought as he finally scrambled to his feet. “Oi oi oi… look I ain’… I ain’t mean nothin’ by any o’ that, eh? Don’t gotta get… get feisty, right, mate?”
The two-legged sure had a mouth on him; Bruce would give him that much. Call it overreacting, jumping the gun, or whatever the case. As soon as the Cetus had realized he wasn’t alone in the suddenly-dry Paroo River and he was all-too aware of the very lack of cover, for only a few trees sprung up here and there, he had to act fast. No way to hide, no river to make a great escape. Bruce had to eliminate the threat immediately, even if the threat was one human.
One human was all it could take.
While the human was pressed against the ground, Bruce inspected him for weapons. No guns, at least hopefully not. A strange tire-shaped device on the human’s back-- which helped, considering Bruce’s claw weighed down on the human and would have otherwise ripped the flesh to shreds at contact. If he wasn’t careful, of course. The human failed to attempt to reach towards anything. Surely, if the stranger had a knife, that would be the first thing they’d reach for right? Or a gun, or something.
Bruce gave the human a final prod with the tip of his snout before abating and removed his heavy claw from the human’s back. Even as the human scrambled to his feet and reached his full height, Bruce towered over the stranger.
“Are ye armed,” he bellowed, not so much as a question than a demand.