Stranger in the Woods

Chapter 1

The sound of steel clanging interrupted Elethia's morning exercise. She veered off towards the sounds, slipping through the forest. Who on earth could be out here? No one came to the Marrellian forest, not this deep. That was why she'd decided to live there, it was completely isolated. Then she realized that her exercises had brought her out of the deepest parts of the forest into the part that was occasionally visited.

Elethia slowed her pace as the clanging sounds drew nearer. A clearing was up ahead where the fight was probably happening. She looked around for a suitable tree that would be high enough to give her a clear view of what was going on, but had dense enough foliage to conceal her. She spotted a large oak that would serve her purposes and shinnied up to a crook in the branches, then, parted the leaves in front of her.

Looking around, Elethia was shocked at what she saw. Ten men lay dead in the clearing, several with throwing knives in their chests and others stabbed or throats slashed. Five men still stood. All of the men except for one had red sashes tied around their waists, signifying they were part of a bandit gang that called themselves The Forrest Maurauders. Elethia focused in on the man without the sash and gasped.

He was beautiful. His hair was blonde, a few shades away from white. He was tall, broad shouldered, and muscular. She could only see part of the side of his face, but what she could see showed high cheekbones and well chiseled features. His shirt was tattered and there were light blood stains by the holes, along with a large bloodstain on his left side. He stood facing the other men who were trying to form a circle around him. Whenever one of the bandits started to veer off toward the left or right, the blonde man would step in that direction or turn his body in such a way that they couldn't get around him. Elethia slipped off her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at one of the bandits. While the blonde man's identity was a mystery, the bandits' was not, and Elethia could not stand bandits. After this was over, she would question the blonde stranger, but for now, it was time to rid the world of a few more ne're-do-wells.

The blonde stranger's stance was relaxed yet ready to strike, a position that only came from years of experience. He managed to keep an eye on all of them without moving, appearing completely invulnerable. Elethia, however, knew better from years experience hunting animals and looking for the weaker ones. She could see the tell tale fatigue in his arm as he held out his sword, the strain his muscles showed, and a slight sheen of sweat that was almost invisible unless you were looking for it. He was tiring and would soon give out, she needed to work quickly.

Raising her bow, Elethia took aim and released the arrow. The arrow hit one of the bandits between the eyes and he sank to the ground. All the other bandits turned to look at him, in shock, horror, and utter disbelief. Taking advantage of the distraction, the stranger attacked the bandit nearest him slitting his throat with a single swipe of his blade. Elethia took a moment to admire his form while nocking another arrow and firing at another bandit. While she had been shooting one of the bandits, he had taken down another, leaving only one which Elethia promptly shot.

For a moment, there was silence, not a leaf stirred, nor a bird sung, then the cacophony of the forest resumed. Elethia watched as the blonde stranger turned around and headed toward her tree. She held her breath, not really sure as to what kind of reaction to expect from him when she was discovered. He took about five steps toward her and collapsed.

Elethia climbed down the tree as fast as she could, jumping the last few feet and ran to the edge of the clearing, stopping right before she left the cover of the trees. Resting a hand on her sword, just in case he wasn't really unconscious, she crept forward, taking care not to disturb anything as she went. As she drew nearer, Elethia could see that he was even bigger than she'd thought, probably six foot six, and well-muscled. There was no way she was moving him to her hut without help. His chest rose and fell evenly and shaking him did nothing to rouse him, confirming that he was, indeed, unconscious. Elethia put her thumb and index finger to her lips and gave a shrill whistle.

After about a minute, she heard the unmistakable flap of wings. A moment later, her pegasus came into view. Well, technically, it wasn't her pegasus since it was almost impossible to own a pegasus, but she had saved it's life as a filly, so it was now bound to answer her call. The pegasus was palomino colored with a black mane, tail, and wings. Elethia grabbed the man under his arms and heaved him onto the pegasus, draping him across it's back so he was lying on his stomach with his arms hanging off of one side and his legs on the other. She then mounted the pegasus behind him and touched her heels into the beast's sides. It took off smoothly and soared into the sky.

Elethia studied the clearing and surrounding terrain for a while so she could remember exactly how to get back. There was a lot of good equipment there and she wasn't about to let it go to waste, especially her arrows. Once the clearings' position was imprinted in her brain, she pulled the pegasus around and headed it deeper into the forest towards her hut. After about fifteen minutes, they reached it. Elethia guided the pegasus down through the foliage to the entrance of her hut. She dismounted the pegasus and led it into her hut. It was a tight squeeze, what with the pegasus trying to fit itself, it's wings, and the man through the doorway, but they managed.

Once the pegasus was through the doorway, Elethia pulled the blonde stranger off the pegasus's back and laid him gently on her bed. So many questions swirled through her head, Who was this man, where had he come from, why were the bandits after him, Where had he learned to fight? Elethia had been taught by her father, and he was considered a master at all forms of combat, yet this man could possibly rival him. Her questions were just going to have to wait though because the gash in the man's side seemed to have started bleeding even heavier after the ride on the pegasus.

Speaking of the pegasus, Elethia turned around and saw it pawing at the ground, anxious to be off. Pegasi were free spirited and didn't like to be restrained in a certain place. Elethia went out to her garden and pulled up a few carrots for the pegasus. As she was feeding the pegasus, she said, "There you are good friend, thank you for your help. llie aa shan nesh sii'.  You may go for now." With that, the pegasus snorted, spread it's wings and took off. Elethia watched it for a moment before remembering she had pressing matters to attend to. She turned around and headed back into the hut.

Elethia went over to the cupboard that held her herbs and medical supplies. You never new what was going to happen in the Marrellian Forest, so it was a good idea to be prepared. As she knelt to get the bandages she felt cold steel touch her neck. Elethia sucked in a breath, her mind racing. She figured the blonde stranger had regained consciousness, grabbed one of the spare swords she had, and had waited for her to return. "Where am I, where are my weapons, and who are you?"