suppertime

Girl's gotta eat.

A chill autumn breeze brought the group's foul stench to her delicate nostrils. The creatures sat circling their fire and spit. She waited patiently until the aroma of cooked rabbit joined the group's unsavory smell in the air. Then, quieter than the gentle wind, she alighted. One perimeter guard is quickly disposed of with a small throwing knife, the poisoned tip granting the unfortunate being a slow and agonizing, silent, paralyzed death. Before its life had even escaped its prone body, the other two had throats split open. None of the bantering fools in the camp noticed the subtle gurgle of near-decapitation their comrades had emitted.
        She reached to her belt and using the small hand-crossbow, sent two tiny darts zinging through one creature's neck and the side of its face. It fell over in the midst of his perplexed companions. They stumbled in a chaotic attempt to wield clumsy weapons. [It's a wonder these imbeciles were able to catch any dinner at all...] She easily dodged an arrow wavering towards her midsection, loping the head off the archer's charging friend in one fluid motion. Her left leg came out in an arch, its path cut half-circle around her as her foot connected with a gnarled hand fisted around a sword. The crude weapon clanged against stones as it hit the floor. The desperate creature dove for its fallen weapon only to find a boot heel meeting its chin. She fell backward to avoid another arrow, using her hand to complete the motion, flipping in a whirl of her cloak. Another creature saw the apparent opening and lunged at her midsection with its own sword only to find it in a tangle of dark cloak. It did not hear another creature's neck snap, in response to the hilt of her sword, over its own roar of anger. Before it could free its sword from the thick cloth, it felt a biting pain in its stomach. A poorly aimed arrow shattered its shoulderblade; within a heartbeat, its eyes bulged incredulously as she withdrew her blade from its gut. She deftly moved to her right; an arrow whizzed harmlessly by on her left. She ducked quickly as a large shadow soared over her, pinning down a creature who quickly regretted its foolish intention to stab her in the back. With a slight twist of her body, and a quick tug, she used one creature to intercept another flying arrow. She tossed her hair back, shooting a withering glare at the archer. It dropped its bow and ran desperately toward the trees. She threw a small dagger into the fleeing creature's back. Two others had run off into the forest but she soon heard their painful screams as the panther undoubtedly ripped them apart with sharp teeth in powerful jaws.
        She sat down next to the deserted spit to enjoy her well earned meal. [Nothing like a good fight to work up an appetite!] Her partner growled in the forest, content with its own freshly killed meal. Later, as the feline cleaned itself, she retrieved her throwing knives and dagger, then proceeded to wipe the blood off her weapons with one of the creature's shabby bedrolls.
        She headed back to the main road, walking into a stunning twilight, with the breeze teasing her silky hair. Her cloak billowed softly with her movements and a small black cat followed close behind.