The cave felt empty when Raven woke up in the morning. She sat up, feeling the results of yesterday’s fight and healing in her sore muscles. Looking around, she noticed the sun hadn’t risen yet and that the stars were out.

“I miss the rain,” she sighed. “It was a lot cooler then.” She wiped her brow, even in the morning she was sweating.

Outside in the shadow covered forest Raven saw the massive bulk of Beast boy foraging through the undergrowth. She got up and brushed herself off, taking special care to flick a beetle harmlessly off of her arm.

She walked out into the open and examined the sky. Dark blue contrasted with the rising light and clashed far above in the middle of the sky. The stars were still awake and dancing in the sky, shining in Raven’s eyes as she gazed at them. Quietly, she hid away the beauty of the sky and jungle in her memory.

“Beast boy,” She called, “We should make a fire or something to attract Robin and Starfire’s attention.” She walked closer, but in a flash she was pinned to the ground.

In the dim sunlight, a monster with purple fur howled in triumph. His teeth were dripping with saliva as he eyed his prey beneath his claws. Raven struggled under the weight and looked up in surprise as the emotion of greed shot through her mind.

“Adonis.” She growled. Adonis growled back and brought his muzzle within inches of her face. His breath, mixed with his wet fur, smelled of rotting meat and mold. Raven coughed as the stench and was glad her control of her emotions also applied to the control of her stomach.

At the insult of the cough in his face, Adonis barked deeply and opened his mouth to bite off the offending head.

A rival roared at Adonis. He looked up in time to see Beast boy slam, full force, into his side. Adonis flew through the forest, hitting ancient trees until he hit a boulder with a hard thud. Raven sat up slowly, the breath was knocked out of her and her arms hurt. Beastboy turned back and laid a large branch of Biriba fruit in front of her.

“So, that’s what you were up to.” Raven said in a monotone voice. Beast boy’s ear tipped downward.

A purple mass rammed Beastboy, sending both of them over Raven’s head. Punching and clawing at one another, Beast boy broke apart and turned to square off against Adonis. But Adonis didn’t fight fair.

He pounced at Beast boy’s back and began smashing his head against the ground. Beastboy shoved him off with his legs and punched him in the face. Adonis countered and grabbed Beast boy by the waist and slammed him into the rock wall beside the cave mouth. Beast boy turned and kicked Adonis’s legs out from under him, then jumped as high as he could into the air. He landed like a meteor on Adonis, making a crater where Adonis lay.

He panted heavily and began to stagger over to Raven. The entire fight took less than 20 seconds to occur. He fell to his knees and began to shrink back to his normal self. Raven flew over to him a caught his unconscious form. His clothes and flesh were partially ripped, but easy enough to repair after Raven’s night of rest. As she began to heal him, a wicked sound filled Raven’s mind.

Hunt. Rival. Bitch. Kill.

Adonis was still a monster. He was still hunting them! Beast boy tried to opening his eyes when he heard the thunder foots steps approach them and when a marrow trembling roar cracked through the early morning sky. Suddenly a chocking sound came from where the roar once was, and the foot steps had stopped.

“That is far enough.” A low voice hissed from beside him.

Raven stood up with Beastboy in one arm and dark magic encircling the other. Chanting loudly, she paralyzed Adonis in mid step and quickly entered his mind.

She grabbed at his fear and pain, and began to torture his mind with it. Even though Beast boy wasn’t an empath, he could sense no restraint in her attack on Adonis.

The purple beast screamed in a high pitched wail that made Beast boy shudder. Raven stood strong, attacking Adonis’s weak mind with ferocity and power that she knew would be permanent.

Slowly Adonis shrank to his pitiful size, still whining when Raven released him from both physical and mental torture. Quickly, she used her magic to create a rope out of nearby saplings and tied Adonis up with a satisfied stare.

With out any pause, she sat Beastboy down and began to heal his wounds. Beast boy was silent as he tried to clear his swimming head.

“Could you have always done that to us, or was that a new technique of animal abuse?” He asked, trying to smile at his pale companion.

Raven glanced at him with a glare, but went on with the healing. “My powers can infiltrate any mind, no matter how stupid. I don’t just watch the other’s mind, I have the power to control it, or destroy it.”

Beast boy’s ears wilted a bit.

“Why didn’t you do that to me when I was… like that?” He asked, knowing she could have turned him back, but still fearing that she could at the same time.

“Be quiet. You’re interrupting me.” She huffed at him in her usual monotone voice. Beast boy stared at her and relaxed at her familiar response to his endless questions.

When the titans returned from the Amazon, Raven went straight to her room for meditation. Healing and mind-jumping made her powers flicker in and out of control. Before reaching her room, three lamps and the refrigerator exploded.

After three hours of peace, a small knock came from her door. She opened it to reveal half of her face. Beast boy stood there, weakly putting his two pointer fingers together. She stared at him from behind her hood, waiting for him to speak.

He took a breath, but then sighed exasperatedly. Then he tried again, but failed. Raven shut her door.

“No wait! Rae, uh…” She allowed herself a small smug smile, before she opened her door again.

Beast boy furrowed his brow and mumbled something.

“Beast boy, I’m not a dog, so couldn’t have heard that, and by now pigs have grown their wings and flown away.”

Beast boy laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Heh heh, good one.” He exclaimed weakly.

“Um, but, any way uh. I just wanted to ask, um… Rae, I really don’t, don’t’ really remember, much, of yester… today as… the, uh, beast.” He said glancing at her to see if she was understanding him.

Raven’s face remained emotionless.

“You didn’t last time.” She stated flatly, enjoying him stammer. In the back of her mind, she thought she missed his simple and short sentences.

“Well, what I wanted to know was, is, that if I, did, anything that, could have… you know, hurt…you.” He said, trailing off at the end. Raven silently cocked an eye brow.

“Beast boy, somewhere in your mind, you have the memories of your time as the Beast. But you have to first remember that YOU, are not a Beast.” She said as plainly as she could.

Beast boy gave her a confused look.

“Um, thanks Raven.” He said, feeling his gloom slowly lift. Her words still were lost on him, but her voice gave him comfort. As he turned to walk away, Raven said one last thing.

“Also, you need to grow up.” She said with irritated intensity, then shut her door. Beast boy chuckled nervously at her door, but walked to the common room with a light heart.

Raven felt his happiness recede into another part of the tower and allowed herself a little bit of happiness at the same time, cracking one of the statues beside her.

She then grew secretive and felt around the tower, probing the minds of her friends with a light touch. Robin was flipping through the channels on their big screen TV, and Starfire was feeding Silkie in the kitchen. Beastboy had just joined Robin on the couch.

Satisfied, she walked over to her crowded book case and found one of the bigger volumes that was bound in green tree bark. The title was “Earth Plants”. She opened up to page 323 a fingered a drying Biriba leaf. She levitated into her lotus position and searched through her memories. In her mind, she found the proper door/archway, and walked through. All around her was the Amazon jungle with the sun almost rising and the stars still dancing in the sky.