Escapist

Ravyn crept through the woods on silent, booted feet. Her was bow in hand and an arrow knocked and ready. She was on the hunt. A large buck stood in a clearing not far away. Ravyn ducked behind a fallen log. She drew her bow back, took aim and fired. The arrow pierced the deer’s heart. It was a quick, clean kill. She walked over to it and pulled out the arrow. This would feed her for quite some time. Standing back up she called her horse Ahern with a sharp whistle.

The paint gelding looped up to her as sure as any dog. She rubbed his head affectionately before tying the deer behind her small saddle. The whisper of an early winter breeze rustled through the trees. It had a bitter nip to it. She could sense the oncoming storm. Ravyn had lived in the forest for many years and was completely in tuned to it.

She was just about to mount him when the sound of footsteps reached her ears. No one but her was ever in this forest but her. The town’s folk thought it to be hunted. She gave Ahern the signal to stay before she stalked towards the source of the steps.

She peaked around a tree 100 yards away from where she’d left Ahern. A man was standing amongst a group of pine trees. The stranger had shoulder length, black hair, a lighter goatee and small mustache. Even from where she was standing she could see he had ice blue eyes. His dark clothes covered a muscular body. A sword was at his waist. He was crouching looking at a track…her track. She cursed under her breath. If he returned with news that someone was living in the forest the king would send any number of men and there would go her peace.

Ravyn drew the hood of her cloak over her head. She drew the dagger that was next to the hand and a half sword that was strapped across her back. Silently she crept up behind him. He stood up just as she reached him. She pressed her dagger to his throat but something stayed her hand from going any farther.

“Give me one reason why I should not kill you now,” she covered. She disguised her voice as best she could.

“If you value your life you won’t. The king will find you and make you pay dearly. That’s if my friends do not find you first,” he said coolly. His voice had the lilt of an unfamiliar accent.

“Who are you?” she asked pressing the dagger against his skin a little more.

“Remove your dagger and I shall tell you,” he replied.

“Not likely.”

The stranger was much too calm for her liking. Did her have reinforcements around close by? She couldn’t sense anyone.

Before she could do anything he’d somehow managed to knock the dagger out of her hand. She ducked away and drew her sword. When she looked up she saw him with his own drawn and coming at her. She parried and stepped out of the way while swinging at him. The clang of metal filled her ears as he parried. She came at him with everything she had. That was her style, aggressive. She overwhelmed the opponent with quick, aggressive, constant blows. At that point she normally feigned going for the legs to draw their attention before she flew up and stabbed them. She knew this one was much too good to be tricked like that. Though he wasn’t quite her equal she was still impressed. He was good!

But she was better. He came with a heavy left swing. She caught the hand guards and yanked the sword clear out of his hand and sent it flying into the trunk of a tree. The move had shook her hood loose and it fell revealing her face. Astonishment filled his face.

“You!” he cried.