It was the test of Ruth's combating powers and not her magical powers, and she was aware of that very well. Now while fighting with those Shades, Ruth understood why Miss Chang was adamant about her attending the training sessions in her everyday dresses.
Ruth did not only duck the blows coming her way, but she also blocked many of them, taking those Shades by surprise. As per the lessons she had received about the Shades from Miss Chang, they were the cunning creatures, often opting for the dirty tricks in the fighting.
They provoked the enemy like a cat and then attacked aggressively like a dog. The yelling and hissing were their ways of hampering the enemy's confidence and attack on their psychology.
The one advantage that Ruth had over them was that they had no magical powers while fighting. So they rely only on their speed and their ability to easily shift their shape to their advantage during the fight.
