K
Kitti
Guest
Original poster
When the sun rose that morning, bright and clear over the far fields, it caused the brilliant greens of the mighty forest to ignite in dazzling emerald and peridot. The birds in the trees were making noise and the day was still new when Katya woke from her sleep and prepared to continue her journey once more. She had meant to wake before the dawn had touched the treetops but had overslept her goal and needed to make up for lost time, meaning that she was hurrying through the motions of rolling her blanket and stuffing everything hastily into her pack once more.
The light leather Katya was wearing seemed sweltering in the heat already and she'd barely begun to move around, which made her reconsider whether she wanted to be walking with it on at all. While she was debating the merits of stuffing the leather into the pack as well and walking in only her light cloth, she heard what sounded to be a panicked rustling not too far from her. On the defensive at once, she drew her sword and crept in the direction of the noise. If she was lucky, it would be a wounded bird thrashing around. And if she was unlucky... well, she didn't want to think about it. Better to burn the bridges when you cross them and not before.
Moving through the trees with hardly a sound, Katya slid through the shadows and cover provided to her, her sword held at the ready just in case. There had been almost no people in her approach to the forest once she'd passed the town of Tierell and none that she knew of who resided in it. That meant if it were not an animal, it was another traveler, one who had managed to near past her in the night. She frowned at the thought.
When her creeping footsteps had put her close enough to the source of the noise, Katya could tell that it was not simply a wounded animal. There was a panting, the sound of a much larger form flailing, and perhaps even tears. The image of a badly wounded man came to mind and made her muscles tense even more. What could have been significant enough to so wound another person? And close enough that he had found his way here?
Before Katya could psyche herself out any further, however, her eyes finally found the source of the din and she nearly dropped her sword in surprise. Laying on the ground, looking all the world as though he'd been defeated by the world, was a struggling and panicked looking man with one fancy pant leg stuck in a rabbit trap.
"Don't be alarmed. I do not mean any harm. I heard your noises and came to investigate. Are you injured?" Katya was desperately hoping he was injured.
The light leather Katya was wearing seemed sweltering in the heat already and she'd barely begun to move around, which made her reconsider whether she wanted to be walking with it on at all. While she was debating the merits of stuffing the leather into the pack as well and walking in only her light cloth, she heard what sounded to be a panicked rustling not too far from her. On the defensive at once, she drew her sword and crept in the direction of the noise. If she was lucky, it would be a wounded bird thrashing around. And if she was unlucky... well, she didn't want to think about it. Better to burn the bridges when you cross them and not before.
Moving through the trees with hardly a sound, Katya slid through the shadows and cover provided to her, her sword held at the ready just in case. There had been almost no people in her approach to the forest once she'd passed the town of Tierell and none that she knew of who resided in it. That meant if it were not an animal, it was another traveler, one who had managed to near past her in the night. She frowned at the thought.
When her creeping footsteps had put her close enough to the source of the noise, Katya could tell that it was not simply a wounded animal. There was a panting, the sound of a much larger form flailing, and perhaps even tears. The image of a badly wounded man came to mind and made her muscles tense even more. What could have been significant enough to so wound another person? And close enough that he had found his way here?
Before Katya could psyche herself out any further, however, her eyes finally found the source of the din and she nearly dropped her sword in surprise. Laying on the ground, looking all the world as though he'd been defeated by the world, was a struggling and panicked looking man with one fancy pant leg stuck in a rabbit trap.
"Don't be alarmed. I do not mean any harm. I heard your noises and came to investigate. Are you injured?" Katya was desperately hoping he was injured.