He reached for me with his long arm, and his nails tore my flesh as I leaped back from the clutch and gained the comparative safety of the side-wall.
He began poking again, and caught me a painful blow on the shoulder.
Beyond shivering with fright and yelling when he was hit, Lop-Ear did nothing.

I looked for a stick with which to jab back, but found only the end of a branch, an inch through and a foot long.

I threw this at Red-Eye.

It did no damage, though he howled with a sudden increase of rage at my daring to strike back.

He began jabbing furiously.