The clearing had gone silent.
The beast stood like a twisted shadow—six limbs snapping, stomach-mouth snarling, and a single eye twitching in agitation.
Then—
BOOM!
A sonic crack tore the silence apart as Raven disappeared from view.
The ground burst beneath his feet.
The demonic beast screeched, rearing up—THUD!—barely blocking the sweeping kick that slammed into its side.
Its body skidded a few feet, startled.
It wasn't prepared for a sudden, speedy attack. Fighting with the squirrels had made its senses a bit dull.
Now, it was finally back to full form, and its speed returned to normal.
It hissed at Raven, who landed lightly, not even panting.
"Fast bastard," he muttered.
Despite taking the beast by surprise, he couldn't land a perfect hit, as it had instinctively defended itself.
Without waiting for Raven to attack again, the beast lunged.
BOOSH!
Its claws raked the air where Raven's head had been.
