Visions came to Rava in his fitful sleep, Ravens perched all around him, watching him struggle against a blurry foe he couldn’t make out. All he could tell was that it was a tall humanoid of some sort, wielding two swords with lightning quick slashes and stabs, it took everything Rava had to parry with his own short swords. More and more he received cuts, not deep enough to disable him. But he surmised his opponent was toying with him, reveling in the torment.
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As the opponent was about to deliver a lethal stab straight through Rava’s neck, seemingly done with the painful game the Ravens swarmed the opponent, flapping their wings in its face. The opponent faded out and Rava slumped down and then laid down on his back. A raven landed on his chest, its head cocking left and right as it regarded Rava.
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This particular raven was bigger and older, its wings ragged and missing feathers, it’s beak scarred. But the raven’s piercing eyes were very much alive, and somehow judging, Rava thought. “What is going on?” He croaked out with ragged breaths. It raised its head back and came down, stabbing its beak into Rava’s forehead. Waking him up with a start.
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Rava was back in the cabin he shared with Lowan, shivering, covered in sweat and panting. “W..what’s happening to me?” He said to no one as he regarded his forearms, the cuts from his dream gone.
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Lowan was nowhere to be found as Rava stumbled out of the cabin, his eyes darting around trying to find him. It was the middle of the night and the forest had taken on an eerie silence, more so than usual. Nocturnal animals still made their presence known, usually an owl hooted in the distance or a rodent rustled through some bushes.
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Rava wondered for a second if he had lost his uncanny ability to make out even the lowest sounds the forest produced, trying to steady himself he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The breath hurt and his ability didn’t seem to activate, panic started to set in when a voice startled him “Good, you’re awake, what did you dream?”
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Rava recounted his dream to Lowan who gritted his teeth and shook his head. “We must move, gather your things” he said silently and drew Rava’s attention to his hands with which he signed “We’re being hunted”.
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“Who?” Rava signed back and Lowan just thrust his hand towards the cabin and gave Rava a stern glare. His other hand signaling “Now”. Rava didn’t argue back and got his pack, pouches, cloak and weapons, his armor was still strapped on to his chest, arms and legs.
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After he had grabbed everything Lowan went to the door of their cabin, crouching down he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, placing his hand down on the lower corner of the door, a few moments of silence later he removed his hand and a rune had imprinted itself on the door, glowing for a few seconds before fading away.
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Rava surmised it was some sort of alarming spell that would signal Lowan that someone had opened the door, he had never seen Lowan do something like this before. “Who could spook Lowan like this?” Rava thought, having seen the man stare down dire wolves, kill trolls singlehanded and willingly walk into a drakes cavern.
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They left everything they couldn’t comfortably carry behind. Heading east towards the Honul mountains.
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While they walked they both replenished their herb pouches whenever the opportunity presented itself, left fake trails along every game trail and traps along the way. “You’ve been scryed” Lowan said after a few hours of trekking.
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“How do you know?” Rava replied. “The fight you had in your dream, it was your pursuer almost succeeding to find your location, it wasn’t you personally he was fighting but your mental defense, had you not been protected by the Raven’s and woken up he would’ve found exactly where you are” Lowan replied.
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“Who’s he?” Rava asked and Lowan regarded the young man. “He is your father, and my son in law”
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