Prompt: A relationship ends, and another begins.

Raven stared at the scrappy young girl before her, defiance in blazed in her eyes. A steak knife clutched tightly in her shaking hands.

"Go away!" the girl screamed. "This is my home!"

Her home? Raven stared at the house the girl was defending was destroyed, as was the rest of her village. Destroyed by Grimm the previous week.

"You're home?" Raven scoffed. "You've nothing, so just let us pass and take what supplies are left. Or you will be cut down."

"No!" The girl raged waving the knife erratically. "I won't lose anything else!"

"Very well." Raven smirked, this girl showed spunk at least, a shame to waste potential. "Vernal!"

"Ye-Yes miss?" A small, meek young woman to her left flinched at her shout.

"Take care of her." Raven pointed at the knife-wielding girl.

"What?" Vernal a shocked look came over her face. "She's just a child!"

"And?" Raven's eyes narrowed. "She is still an obstacle in our way, cut her down."

"Okay." Vernal nodded, she began to walk to the ragged looking girl. With trembling hands, she drew her weapon a crude axe. "St-stand aside!" she 'commanded'.

Pathetic… Raven thought. This is supposed to be the spring maiden. She could destroy this entire village herself and yet she's afraid of a girl half her age.

"Never!" The girl pointed the knife at Vernal. "This is my home!" the girl charged at Vernal.

"Please don't do this!" Vernal raised her axe to defend.

The girl's form is terrible, but she's tenacious. Raven thought.

The girl lunged lashing out with her knife. Vernal made a weak attempt to parry; the knife made its way past Vernal's defense and the blade cut into her arm causing her to drop the axe.

"Ahh!" Vernal gripped her arm in pain.

"What are you doing!?" Raven snapped. "Use your aura! Your power!"

"No!" Vernal cried. She turned towards Raven tears streaming down her face. "Can't we just ignore it this one time."

"Vernal to me." Raven commanded.

Vernal slowly walked towards her leader.

"Yes Raven." Vernal whimpered.

"What have I taught you?" Raven placed a hand on Vernal's shoulder.

"The strong survive the weak die." Vernal repeated, it was a mantra that had been drilled into her head.

"Correct." Raven nodded. "So why are you letting this girl beat you, aren't you stronger than her?"

"She's a child...she doesn't deserve this." Raven stared into Vernal's tear-filled eyes.

Weak...she won't survive in this world, she doesn't deserve the power granted to her.

"Vernal you disappoint me." Raven drew her sword. "I'll take care of it." The tribe leader strode past Vernal. Turning on her heels she plunged her sword in Vernal's back.

"W-hy?" Vernal gasped blood trickled from her mouth.

"Mercy." Raven whispered removing her sword. Vernal fell to the ground, her blood soaking into the soil. Raven could already feel the maiden's power flowing into her. With a solemn sigh, she turned around and strode towards the knife-wielding girl.

"Get back!" she shakily brandished the knife at Raven.

"Child...you've survived a week on your own in this destroyed town." Raven knelt down in front of her. "And just now you've proven your will to survive was greater than one of my stronger tribemates. If you stay here your life will be short and wasted." Raven extended her hand towards the girl. "But if you join us, join me. I will make you so strong that this will never happen again."

The young girl's eyes flickered, going from her knife to the destroyed home behind her and to Raven's hand. She dropped the knife and ran into Raven's awaiting arms.

"Welcome." Raven wrapped her arms around her in an embrace. "From this day forward you will be a part of the Branwen tribe. Who you were in the past doesn't matter, forget who you were and be reborn anew."

The girl could only silently nod.

Raven let her go and placed her hand on the girl's head.

"Now let's go...Vernal."

Entry for July 2018 in the Discord Server Work In Progress