Birds and beasts fled at Njrea's raw scream. Blood flowed across her skin, coated the scaled feet of the snatcher, brought a smile to Trals's face. He could simply let this continue and destroy a flawed tool with a perfected one. But then how long would he have to wait before he could crush the Slavers? The awesome power of the paarsoot was surely worth a little more sacrifice.
Trals had trained his snatcher well. When he whistled, Srav's head stayed up and away from Njrea's vulnerable throat. Her flapping arms folded. Trals whistled again and with practiced dexterity the snatcher withdrew her claws and hopped back. Her head darted toward Trals, mouth open, expecting a treat for her good behavior. When he provided none, her feathers ruffled indignantly, and she settled onto her haunches t
