The pause is a small victory. But, ultimately, a hollow one. Her talons rip into him, puncturing his eyes by mere chance. That happens to be for the best once it's clear she means to decapitate him. He wouldn't have enjoyed being alive at the bottom of the ocean for however long it would take to regenerate a body.

The moment the life leaves him, his body transforms back into his true humanoid shape. The pieces that drop into the sea make a considerably larger splash than a tiny hawk's body would produce.

Another three days of waiting, it is.