Rendyl groaned. Everything hurt. Whatever she landed on was digging into her all across her body, and none of it helped the fact her wings still burned from overexertion.
[i]This is...nothing. Master has put me through worse![/i]
Try as she might, her mind hadn't surrendered, but her body wasn't moving. Every time she tried to push her torso off the ground she would collapse after barely managing an inch, and only then did she realize just how much she was panting. She couldn't feel her wings. They were both numb and stiff, every fiber screamed for precious oxygen…

A long shadow is cast upon the avian, and she forced herself to look up at the source, neck muscles screaming for rest. Who she saw made her shiver in fear.

Lord Drakus himself was seated atop a horse, looking down at her with disdain and disappointment, and after a moment of examining her spoke [color=goldenrod]"If you can’t get up from that you are useless to me. Rendyl! Get up. My guards do not fall so easily, do not forget who you have become. There is work to do. You can rest when I tell you to.”[/color]

He had sweat on his brow, blood on his hands and splotched on his clothes but with no visible injuries, she could only assume he had been fighting someone, or had been handling wounded. The latter seemed less likely to Rendyl. Under Master's glare, she pushed her body beyond its limits, forcing her burning muscles to push herself off the gravel as she gasped in pain. This was so much worse than sessions with the Lord...

[color=f9ad81]"Yes...Master."[/color] she managed to reply, now on her hands and knees, panting and pausing to catch her breath.

[color=goldenrod]"I am waiting, Rendyl!"[/color]

The Avian nodded mutely, and dug deep. She was so tired….but Master so orders, His slave obeys. Rendyl shoved her torso up and held her body upright, stretching her back muscles and realizing her wings were completely numb. That wasn't important at this moment. She needed to stand, and her wings weren't about to help her do that. Rendyl pushed up onto one foot, and using both hands on that knee, slowly shoved herself upward, albeit rather unsteadily. Gravel and dust fell from her form as she stood before Lord Drakus, and she nodded her head once to him once she steadied herself.

Drakus stared down at her from his horse, and once he was satisfied of her physical state, he pulled the reins of his horse and spun about [color=goldenrod]"Come. We do not have time to waste."[/color]

Rendyl wobbled slightly on her feet and nodded again, walking with weak knees over to her cloak and scooped it up with a groan. Sheer determination doesn't tend a sore body. She in beside Drakus's horse and the pair headed back towards the town square.