Rhavyn placed her shining talons around Mayu’s right arm, not with hurtful intentions but just to lift the warrior-woman to her feet. Rhavyn forced Mayu to look into her eyes, which were now beginning to become tinged with blood-red flecks that mottled their yellow color. Mayu could feel Rhavyn’s hot breath on her cheeks, and she made no effort to hide the shudder the moved down her spine. After a few moments of complete silence, Rhavyn spoke, but the voice that issued from her body was no longer Rhavyn’s voice. It was now masculine and carried a note of menace in it.

“Are you afraid, woman?”

Mayu did not, could not, respond. She was paralyzed by the power of Rhavyn's master. Rhavyn gave Mayu’s unresponsive body a violent shake and shouted.

“If you're not, you should be!”

Rhavyn snarled and threw Mayu’s body to the side. She whipped her glaive around, the blade singing through the air, and brought it down in an arc toward Mayu’s prostrate body. However, the blade never struck its target, for the warrior-woman had rolled out from underneath the attack. Rhavyn lunged at Mayu, her glaive alive in her hands. Mayu dodged again, and this cycle of attack and dodge continued around the forest for what seemed like hours.

Rhavyn suddenly stopped, threw her head back, and emitted a blood-curdling scream that reverberated throughout the trees. Mayu crouched behind an oak tree, fearful of what was to come.

“You might be able hide for a while, but you won’t be able to run after I unleash my fury upon the forest!”

Rhavyn swept her glaive to the side, and it disappeared in a swirl of shadow. She then made fists with her two hands and held them out in front of her, closing her eyes in the process. An aura of shadow surrounded her hands and seemed to draw strength from the shadows cast by the sunlight. The aura grew larger and larger until, with yet another cry, Rhavyn opened her hands.

The forest seemed to grow darker as hundreds of midnight-black ravens emerged from the shadows in Rhavyn’s hands. A screech emanated from the birds as they spotted Mayu huddled on the forest floor behind the oak tree. As one, they flapped their wings, creating a fleeting breeze, and sped toward Mayu, their eyes shining with eagerness.

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Lovely sig and avy by insaney