blade was a, or "blade a blur, it swung"
I think cutting "before" and starting a new sentence with "It raised its large claws" will have more impact. Having the action run on in one sentence does speed it up, but also doesn’t give the reader a moment to appreciate quite how frightening this creature is. Give both Cyael and the reader a second to breathe before it readies for an attack and it’ll give your description the time it deserves.
creature, hide, or "creature, its hide"
