The Wings of the Raven

Chapter 10 - Blood Rites

Hunter and Thorne started forward and latched onto Wolfe's arms wrenching him away from Raven. She stared up at the sky, exhausted and unable to focus. A large dragon head appeared over her looking down at her. The dragon smiled down at her showing all of it's golden teeth. The long, thin face leaned down nuzzling her cheek. She put her hand on the long scar along its snout.

"Hi Hero," Raven cooed, stroking his scar. "Who's my good boy?" She felt her hand drop to the hard ground as her body was overtaken by exhaustion.

Raven stared up at Hero lovingly, making soothing sounds and sending calming emotions towards him. He bent his head down, opening his large mouth, and scooped her up off the ground. Through heavy lids she saw him walk her over to Kita and Angel. Kita and Angel lay down, folding their wings over each other creating a leathery hammock. Hero laid her down on the makeshift hammock growling softly. Slowly the other dragons joined him. She growled back at Hero telling him to stop.

With a roar Hero threw back his head releasing a column of golden flames into the sky. He braced himself before turning that golden flame upon Raven. She let out a scream of fury and defiance. The flame wreathed her body coating her skin in a golden haze. Pain and power flowed through her veins. Any remaining tiredness left her system, replaced by a rush of power and energy.

My screams rang out as Phoenix joined Hero with a column of blazing red and yellow fire. Loch and Nip shot blasts of lightning and River shot a column of blue and silver water. Boa flew into the air and fired a round of spines headed for her.

The wind picked up lifting Raven off of Kita's and Angel's wings. Angel shot a blast of pure moonlight and Kita shot a column of black and purple energy that rippled with tiny bits of lightning. They added their own blasts to the mix creating a hazy cocoon of light and energy. The flames circled her and the lightning traveled around her . The spines circled her body protectively. She floated in the air surrounded by power and energy. Her veins ignited inside her body as lightning mixed with her blood, and her skin glowed with firelight.

Raven's hair danced around her head as if it were floating in water. Her eyes glowed and white fire leaked from the edges of them. Gold, silver and bronze tears flowed down her face leaving lines like war paint. The spines from Boa attached themselves to form extra bones sprouting from her spine. The energy from the dragons aligned to form two powerful wings of pure energy. They glowed with power and crackled like restrained lightning. She screamed as her canines elongated into immense fangs that poked out over her lip. Pain racked her body as Boa's spines melded with her spine, and when she screamed white energy shot out of her open maw.

Raven began to realize that her wings do what she want them to do with a single thought. They wrapped around her like a blanket sheltering her weak body from the harshness of the world. She relaxed into them as mist splashed onto her sweat slicked skin.

Finally the wind released her, placing Raven on the ground. The dragons stopped shooting energy, walking behind their human counterparts and bowing their heads low to the ground.

Wolfe, Hunter and Luna got down on one knee facing her, they placed a closed fist over their heart, pressing the other into the ground. Their eyes never came above her knees. Thorne followed suit, his eyes never leaving the ground. Dove, Reed and Poppy did what the others were doing with only a moment's hesitation.

Part of Raven thought this is how it should be, them cowering beneath my glory. Another part was relieved that she wasn't hiding herself from them, but mostly she thought that this isn't right. She am no higher than them, they have proven to her and themselves that they are diamonds in the rough. They have earned the right to be her equals and she should be honoured to have them alongside her in the coming weeks.