As he passed by, the turtle attempted to seek refuge by retracting its limbs protruding outside its shell, but Mel did not so much as cast a glance in its direction. In his crosshairs was the crimson-bearded lizard, which was attempting to thwart its pursuer by spewing fire with its tail as it fled on its four stubby legs.
The wild beast was not sluggish; in fact, someone witnessing the corridor being forged by the flames it unleashed might have bestowed the epithet 'fast' upon it, but it too, just like the black toad, had bitten off more than it could chew.
Consequently, it was fleeing to save its own life, and it did not appear it would succeed without making a sacrifice. Just as Mel was about to bring down his claw—which had swelled to thrice its normal magnitude—upon its back, it severed its tail from its body.
