Reivaa snarled and turned right, her eyes flashing with uncontained fury, just in time for Ashwin to leap onto one of the lower branches of a nearby oak and land a resounding kick on his airborne opponent’s exposed neck. There was a crack, and Reivaa screamed, flailing blindly at the Zainian who once again leapt off his branch and landed squarely on the Aeriel’s back, snaking his arm round her neck and hanging on as she flew further up into the air, trying to dislodge him.
Hiya, now safely away from the infuriated Aeriel, picked herself up and sprinted into Ruban’s outstretched arms, even as he ran forward to meet her halfway. The Hunter picked her up, holding her close as he turned to kiss her tear-streaked face, struggling to hold back his own relieved tears. “Oh God, you’re alright. You’re safe,” he whispered, his voice coming out in a sob. He didn’t know who he was trying to convince, Hiya or himself. Perhaps it was a bit of both.
There was a crash somewhere deeper inside the forest, and Ruban looked up to see Reivaa, hovering mid-air with her wings outstretched, holding a struggling Ashwin down against the forest floor strewn with dead leaves and wildflowers. Reivaa’s hands were wrapped around the Zainian’s throat, her nails digging into his skin as he bucked wildly under her, trying to throw her off. After another moment of futile struggling, he managed to plant his knee into her stomach, distracting her for a few seconds, which was all he needed to jump back onto his feet and put some distance between them, gasping for breath.
“What’s wrong, little prince?” Reivaa snarled, mocking, as she advanced towards the Zainian. She too was gasping, and she had folded her enormous wings closer around her body. “Show yourself, why don’t you? Fight me to the best of your capacity. It would be no fun to kill you when you’re holding back.” She flew at him – moving faster than Ruban could follow – and struck him across the face in a shattering blow, throwing him off his feet and into the nearest tree.
“Or are you afraid? Afraid of the human?” she spat, raising her hand for another blow. Ashwin tore off a branch from the tree he had crashed into and used it to parry Reivaa’s attack, sliding downwards and driving his fist into the Aeriel’s gut before jumping back to avoid the flying kick that missed him by a hair’s breath. “Vaan has made you complacent, little prince. You and all your ilk. You’ve forgotten strife, forgotten pain. No matter, I’ll gladly reinitiate your education. You are but a child to me, Shwaan. A stupid, arrogant child, at that. You think it would be hard for me to kill you? Think again.”
Hiya screamed as Reivaa flew at Ashwin once again, wrapping her arms around him in a strange mockery of a hug as she picked him clean off the ground and drove him straight into a line of trees. The forest echoed with the sounds of snapping branches and tearing tree roots. As they crashed finally into a gigantic banyan that shuddered and lurched violently under the assault but refused to give way, Ashwin used the leverage of the tree at his back to throw Reivaa off him and land a solid blow to her sternum, causing her to stagger back.
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“Don’t just stand there, you idiot,” he yelled, turning towards Ruban where the Hunter stood at the edge of the forest with a terrified Hiya in his arms. “Take Hiya and get out of here. I’ll handle Reivaa.”
For a moment, Ruban stood still, staring at the scene of carnage that was Zikyang forest. He didn’t really understand what was going on, but he knew that there was more to the situation than met the eye. He was tempted to turn back, to drive away with Hiya safe in his arms, and come back later with reinforcements, when he would have a better chance of winning against this monstrous creature. But it was at least a two-hour drive to the Quarters, more if he tried to reach the IAW. Ashwin wouldn’t survive that long against Reivaa, not alone, Ruban knew that with an absolute certainty. There would be no one left to come back for.
“Don’t be ridiculous. She will kill you,” Ruban shouted back even as Reivaa made another swipe at Ashwin, which the Zainian dodged at the last second, throwing a kick of his own. Putting Hiya back down onto the ground, Ruban spoke into her ear: “Run to the car and stay inside until we get back, okay? Don’t go anywhere, and don’t be scared. I’ll clean this mess right up and take you home, you get me?”
Hiya nodded, even as her lower lip wobbled with oncoming tears. But her eyes remained dry as she smiled up at Ruban, and the Hunter could feel his heart ache with pride. Hiya was a brave girl, she always had been. He patted her affectionately on the back, and she ran off towards the sedan where it was still parked a few yards behind the convertible, which had toppled over and was lying unceremoniously on its side.
As Hiya hopped into the back of the little black car, another feral snarl reverberated through the forest and Reivaa hurled Ashwin across the clearing created by the fallen trees and into the toppled convertible, which let out a violent, metallic groan and shuddered convulsively under the impact. Silently, the Hunter bent down to reclaim his discarded weapons, even as Reivaa unfurled her wings and dashed after the Zainian, who lay gasping against the destroyed vehicle.
Taking aim, Ruban threw his sifblade. It was largely guesswork; he could barely see the Aeriel when she was moving at full speed. Still, it was either that or watch the creature snap Ashwin’s neck. And even from a self-preservation point of view, that was a bad idea. Ruban harboured no delusions about his ability to take Reivaa on his own while trying to protect Hiya at the same time.
The blade connected, and Reivaa dropped out of the air like a singularly gorgeous sack of potatoes, her outstretched hand inches away from Ashwin’s throat. The metallic handle of the sifblade stuck out of her shoulder like a very intricately carved birthday candle even as effervescent light spilled like blood from the wound.