As soon as Clamour grasped Bear's hand, he felt a chill. He could feel the nigh-boundless strength this creature possessed. It was to the point that Clamour could tell even before the contest started, the result looked bleak for him. However, he hadn't gotten to this point and survive hundreds of adventures by backing down in the face of adversity.
"Go!" Alexandra said.
Clamour started yelling out a battle cry, almost as if siphoning strength from it. He had to finish this as soon as it started to have a chance. Bear was slower to react as he realised his hand was slowly falling to the other side.
Bear may not have his previous cognitive functions, but he recognised this would be a defeat! How could he be beaten since he was ordered to win?! Bear's hand stayed a few centimetres from the trunk of the tree, he held his ground, but this gave Clamour an incredible advantage.
