Plains

The plains just outside Rorikstead.

"As father always says, think three times before you shoot. Aim first. Second, steady your breath. And third, wait for the moment to strike." And as that moment happened across him, he let his arrow fly, right into the gut of a large hare.

"Yes!" Aron exclaimed as he rushed down the hill from which he scoped the land, and hurried to claim his prize. The rabbit still squirmed when he approached it, so he took out his father's knife, and quietly ended its suffering.

"Father will be pleased!" Aron said to himself. Rabbit stew was Father's favorite. He slipped the limp carcass into his sack, and then scrambled back up to his little hill to scour for his next prey.

A girl and her two companions trekked through the plains at an easy pace. They had been travelling for days, now - the town before had jeered at the sight of the wood elf and her black cat.

Haryl walked alongside her horse as Miep rode on top. He dozed on the pile of furs that rested there, tail twitching to and fro. The elf kept an eye on him - the furs would make a good profit in Rorickstead, so long he didn't make a mess.

There was the problem of her housing arrangements, however. Would she stay in town, or spend a night in the woods? There wasn't feed for the horse, but grass was plentiful around here. Haryl didn't mind, either way.
She almost preferred the latter.

Aron began to draw back his bow once again, as a hawk flew up overhead. He'd never shot an airborne bird before, and the challenge was too tempting to resist. As he steadied his arrow, following the bird as it soared through the sky, he didn't notice the approaching wolves behind him. They were silent as they approached him, but as he let his second arrow fly, it missed its target, and Aron let out a sigh of frustration, only to hear the wolves behind him. He turned abruptly to face them, and they growled, barring their teeth.

"H-Help!" Aron cried as he dropped his bloody sack, and took out his father's knife. But no one would hear him, he realized, he was too far from the village to be in anyone's ear shot. He took a step back, but that only granted the wolves a step forward. There were three of them, snarling and snapping at him, but as one lunged for him, he jumped back, only to trip over a rock and fall, tumbling down the hill, with the wolves in hot pursuit.

It wasn't long before Miep woke up and started grumbling - He was hungry and didn't bother hiding the fact. Every sound that came out the cat's mouth screamed 'Food. Now.'
With a frown, the elf shook her head.
"You'll gain weight," she replied sternly. He scowled at her.

The girl had only just squinted towards the town when she heard a cry and snarls. Turning to her right, Haryl spotted a kid rolling down the hills. A pack of wolves followed closely behind. She frowned, the bow on her back appearing quickly in her hands.

Haryl nocked, sighted, pulled and released an arrow in the span of two breaths. She pushed off a protesting Miep and her bundle of furs in three, mounting onto her horse and heading full speed towards the boy. The arrow hit the wolf closest to the kid, sticking him through the heart.

Startled, Aron gasped as the wolf fell to the ground with a thud, but before he could see who had shot the arrow, the second wolf was already on him, followed up by the third. Aron screamed as he held back the first of his attackers, using his knife and bare hands, but could not stop the other from sinking its teeth into his leg, tearing through the skin like a piece of linen. He cried out, his arms straining as the one on top of him tried madly to snap at his face.

As Haryl neared the... group... she stood up and pushed herself off the horse, diving towards the wolf attached to the boy. The mare blocked the other, rearing up so the it was forced to back away lest he be trampled.

The elf managed to pry the attacking one off, rolling the last few metres before hitting flat land. They grappled for a few moments before she shoved him away, positioning herself between the beast and the kid. The horse managed to circle its packmate around likewise. Haryl crouched in a defensive stance, weaponless. Her bow was strapped to her back again, and her dual swords and hunting knife stayed in their respective sheaths. The two may have been starving-with-protruding-ribs hungry, but they weren't eating a child.

The wolves snarled in unison, but Haryl returned with a hiss of her own. She kept her eyes on the two, straightening up from her crouch. Their pale yellow eyes followed her as she reached towards her mare's saddlebags. She retrieved a pouch of dried jerky, waving it at them.

"Go," she said firmly. "Not him." They hesitated, pausing, and she frowned.
"Go." She raised her arm and hurled it as far as she could - they paused a moment longer before turning around and sprinting after the meat. The smaller one took a quick detour in running over to snatch the boy's fallen rabbit sack before taking off after its partner.

There went Miep's dinner.

His bleeding leg temporarily forgotten, Aron looked up at the woman in admiration. She must have seen a million battles in her time, though she did not wear armor. She was, after all, carrying an arsenal of weapons, including the bow strung around her back.

He started, "Miss-" only to wince at the pain from the torn flesh down his leg. He didn't cry though, he didn't want to look like some sorry wimp in front of the person who just saved his hide.

The very air seemed to be making the pain worse, so it was natural that he would grab his leg, but that didn't seem to help either.

It was only then when Haryl turned back to look at the kid she had just saved. For the love of all things holy, he couldn't have been more than thirteen years...
Miep cut into her observation as he came bounding over, claws out and ready to protect his mistress. He stopped several metres away, sniffing at the wolf she had shot, before turning to look up at the elf.
"How is it you always get into trouble when I'm not around?"

Haryl shook her head before crouching down near the kid. Her face was blank, but she was stiff and disapproval seemed to roll off of her in waves. She inspected his leg silently, pulling away any shreds of cloth remaining near the wound. Miep circled the two, rubbing against the boy's hand whenever he neared. Not long after, she spoke up.

"Do you live near here?" She wasn't too bad at taking care of wounds, but the boy's parents would probably prefer a healer they trusted, lest she poison him with odd magic or something.

Aron wasn't dumb enough not to notice the harsh feelings the woman seemed to be giving off. He wasn't sure what he did, but he sure wasn't going to asked. He winced again as she tore away the cloth near his wound, and flinched when the cat rubbed up against him.

"Yes, just over there. My father owns one of the farms in Rorikstead." He said, nodding in the general direction. Geez, his father was going to kill him for getting run down by wolves. Or worse, Aron would never get to hunt again.

Haryl remained silent, looking at his leg a little longer. Turning back towards the horse that stood nearby, the elf rummaged through the saddlebags before finding a small roll of bandages that had been buried in the bottom. They wouldn't help much, but... It was just a temporary thing.
Retrieving her water skin as well, she washed the boy's leg of any dirt and saliva as best she could before binding it tightly with the little roll she had. The bandages didn't do nearly enough, but at least it wouldn't get contaminated during the ride back and fall off.
She stood up, brushing off her skirts and squinting into the distance. The pile of furs lay on the ground, having been unceremoniously dumped before the incident. The two of them plus those wouldn't all fit on the horse... she'd have to leave them, then.

"I'll take you home," Haryl said, looking down at him. "Do you need help?"

"I think I can walk." Aron replied, and although it took effort, he was able to get to the feet. His weak leg was a little shaky, but he could stand. He just needed to get his things and he could be on his way.

But as he went for his bow, which he dropped at the top of the hill, he had to limp his way there, and he was practically crawling up the hill by the time he was halfway. He sat down to catch his breath, but he had retrieved his bow and sack. The only arrows he had were gone. The one he had shot down the rabbit with had snapped, and the other, from when he missed the hawk, was too far away for him to go look for.

"..." Haryl watched as he made his way up the hill. By the time he had reached his belongings, the kid looked like he was going to collapse. She followed after him silently, beckoning her two companions forward as well. When reaching the boy, the elf bent down picked him up by the waist, plopping him down on the saddle without warning. Miep jumped up as well, snuggling into the spot before the kid.
"Stay there," she said, turning around - directed at the cat, of course. Haryl doubted the boy could move far even if he wanted to. He snorted at her.
"Fine, then. Abandon me again, go right ahead."
She went back to get the furs and -covering the wolf with one to be picked up later- returned, hoisting them over her shoulder and taking hold of the reins. It would probably be easier to travel like that, assuming his house actually wasn't that far.

"Which way?"

It didn't seem that Aron had much room to argue, so he quietly watched as she retrieved her furs- she seemed to be a huntress- and gave her an answer to her question, "Just west of here. The village is just over that hill over there." He pointed out which hill he was talking about, then, after a moment of hesitation, he spoke once again, "Thank you, by the way. My name is Aron." He watched the woman as she grabbed the reigns of her horse, wondering if she'd even respond.

Haryl stayed quiet as she followed his directions while leading the horse forward. She continued to remain stiff and blank-faced, pausing only to readjust the furs that continued to slide off her shoulder. She stayed silent for the longest amount of time, ignoring his introduction. When Miep turned his head to look at her, however, his eyes were reproachful.

"Don't be mean. He's just a kid, after all."

Haryl sighed, turning her head to give a slight nod at Aron. "Haryl."

"...Idiot."

Aron grinned, "You must be some kind of warrior or something huh? You saved my life! I could never shoot as straight as you did."

He couldn't help it, he was a 12 year old kid, who had just witnessed perfection at the hand of a master. She must travel all over the place, going wherever she wants to go, doing what ever she wants to do. Aron wished to be an adventurer like that, rather than a measly farm boy.

Haryl looked up at him, frowning. She shook her head.
"I'm not a warrior. I don't kill for pleasure like they would. It's barbaric." Wow. More than ten words in one breath - Haryl was turning talkative.

She shut her mouth, looking straight again. She'd take the boy home and make sure he didn't die. After that, however, she'd leave. Kids weren't exactly her area of expertise, and this boy seemed to be the cheery, loud sort - the worst of their kind.

Aron frowned at the woman's response and scratched the back of his head as he averted his gaze. Was she accusing him? He didn't mean to do anything wrong, nor did he know that hunting was wrong. Or was he just worrying too much? Either way, he had the feeling that she didn't like him very much, despite the fact that she saved him.

So, he looked down at his hands as he fidgeted with the string on his bow. Like a child pouting for sweets.