Raven heard the first ear piercing screams just seconds after the moon reached its highest point in the sky, it's silvery beams shinning like a spotlight on the world below. Within seconds, Raven was on her feet before she was fully awake, her right hand tightly gripping the blade of her sword.
"What's going on?" she wondered, sleepily. She turned her gaze toward the castle that had once been her home, only to see that something wasn't right. Looking around, she noticed nothing was as it should be. The common sounds of the night was gone, replaced only with the blood curling screams somewhere in the distance. The stars that normally hung low in the sky now gave little light, as if their very life energy was being drawn from it. There was a general feeling of unease in the air, as if the whole world had gone still in fear of some unseen evil. Another sweep of the area revealed something even more frightening. The sentries who patrolled the area at night in their strict, repetitive motions were nowhere to be seen.
Then from the distance she heard another scream, but it was soon drowned out by the most inhuman of sounds. The deep guttural noise was the most primal thing ever heard, a sound no man nor creature of this land could make.
Raven remembered the sound just as she saw the silhouette of the creature in the darkness. Were it not for the glowing of its piercing purple eyes, it would have appeared to be nothing more than a shadow. Its long sweeping tail took down buildings, destroyed homes and yet, seemed to neither notice nor care the damage it was doing to the city.
Raven wanted to scream, to run, to do anything to flee the advances of the creature, yet she was immobilized with fear. Every hair on her body stood on end, and her steady sword trembled in her shaking hand. Blood seemed to rush through her body quicker, her heart pounding in her ears. She could only stand there as the creature scanned the area with its soulless, purple eyes, slowly moving forward unaware of the obstacles planted in its path, plowing through fields and homes. Red tinted saliva dripped from it mouth, bruises and cuts covered its skin, yet it was not deterred. It continued on its rampage, seemingly unaware of the world around it.
Raven took a few steps back, praying to the Gods above that whatever such a creature was wouldn't find her. Her eyes were locked on the magnificent creature, her focus on her surrounding was gone as the world around her became a blurry haze. Memories from the night the creature rose from the carnage of her home plagued her mind. Her father's execution replayed itself in her mind, his blood painting the ground beneath him. The castle, her home, destroyed. The creature lunging at those around him, tearing into any he could touch with malice.
Raven was jerked out of the playground of her memories as strong hands grabbed her. A rough hand clasped itself over her mouth, preventing the scream from escaping her lips. The other calloused hand had an iron tight grip on her forearm. She wanted to swing back with the blade of her sword, but her grip on the handle was too tight, her movements too slow and clumsy. Her heart pounded too fast, her processing was too slow. All the energy seemed to have fled her body. In that moment, Raven was truly afraid she would die.
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