Yanael took the bear's hits, paws, and claws with her shield. Her arm ached, and her shoulder was numb from how heavy the bear's strikes were. She couldn't defend against all the strikes, and she picked up more than one bloody gash on her body.
But no matter what, Yanael didn't let the bear push her back. Behind her were two things she couldn't let the bear get closer to, Zach and the barrier.
If she had been alone, she wouldn't have used such a reckless method of sacrificing her flesh just to keep the bear in place and occupied. And she definitely wouldn't have continued angering the bear by poking it in the nose or between the toe pads on the sole of its front paws when using the method.
But it was the most efficient method of controlling the bear. And she wasn't alone.
