The clearing had grown sharper in focus as the Scraggers moved with restless anticipation. Their huge frames were marked by thick hide and corded muscle, and their brutish nature was betrayed by the way they crashed against one another while maintaining an erratic circle.
"Now!"
The moment Na-Ri lowered her hand, Orion's shadow scout darted forward like a streak of darkened intent under his command. It bounded across the treeline, halting the gaze of the nearest beasts.
The two leading Scraggers lunged with unthinking aggression.
Na-Ri was the first to act as her blade swept in a clean arc, meeting the first brute head-on. She stepped inside its swing, cleaving through the softer joint beneath its mandibles.
The beast collapsed in violent spasms, while Orion's cloak writhed outward, transforming into three extending shadows that bound the second Scragger mid-leap and crushed it against the trunk of a nearby tree until bones splintered.
Kyle's eyes widened at the sight.
