The soldiers' laughter, full of lust and violence, circled above them like ill-omened crows. At any moment, it could catch up with them and bring them death.
Such extreme fear stirred a person's most basic instincts, driving them to flee or fight to protect themselves. The hormones in their bodies pushed every organ to work at full capacity until they were out of danger.
Talina felt she had never been so agile. She was a physician who traveled often, but she could never normally move as nimbly as a warrior or a hunter. Her heart was beating so fast, yet every last part of her body was filled with strength. Like a cunning fox, she slipped softly through the grass and bushes.
The hunter was even more capable. He had roamed this forest for who knew how long, and countless animals had died beneath his arrows. He knew every corner around the village. Even with his child in his arms, he had managed to get his wife out first, then sneak back to rescue the doctor.
Apart from a longbow he had made himself from yew wood, the hunter's only weapon was the billhook in his hand. It was not made for killing people, but he had calmly split a man's skull with it all the same.
He still gripped the bloodstained billhook tightly, calmly pushing aside the bushes and other obstacles before him while making as little noise as possible.
The child had just had his fill of milk and was sleeping soundly, his little face pressed tightly against the hunter's chest. It made his father even more careful, afraid he might wake his child at this most dangerous moment.
Hard shards of stone and thorns tore the cloth skirt over the girl's knees and scratched tiny cuts into her skin. Stinging pain kept rising from her palms and knees, but she merely gritted her teeth and endured it. She moved slowly forward, not daring to make a sound that might attract attention.
They crept along the dense bushes within the village. The dreadful slaughter all around made their hearts clench with every scream. Intense fear followed them like a shadow, creeping through their hearts and minds, ready to seize them at any moment.
...
Both of them stopped. There was even despair in their eyes.
At some point, two soldiers with spears had taken up guard at the village entrance. A fence of wooden stakes three meters high surrounded the entire village to keep out the wild animals of the forest. The enormous undertaking had gone on for several years, and every man in the village had helped. Now that high fence had become a terrible barrier to their escape...
The village entrance was the only way out, and the enemy was guarding it. Both of them had almost reached a dead end.
The hunter slowly narrowed his long, slender eyes. He touched his longbow, then gently unfastened the child from his chest and handed him to the doctor behind him.
"Hold him for me. I can't draw my bow with my child in my arms..."
He drew three arrows from his quiver. Both soldiers wore gleaming silver mail and helmets. Their only weak points were their exposed faces... They were staring at the blazing village with impatient, angry expressions, resentful that they were not taking part in the looting.
He slowly fitted an arrow's nock onto the bowstring. He held another arrow between the index and middle fingers of his left hand, and the third between his middle and ring fingers. This would let him loose three arrows in very quick succession...
The hunter drew a deep breath, slowly narrowed his eyes, then suddenly stood up!
Both soldiers spotted the man who had appeared without warning. Before they could open their mouths, a sharp arrow struck one in the face. It drove deep into his eye socket, spraying blood and knocking him to the ground.
The other soldier opened his mouth wide, but before a sound could come out, another dark shape flew into it. It pierced the back of his head and stopped only when it struck his iron helmet...
The bowstring's twang still lingered around them. The hunter tossed the remaining arrow into the quiver at his waist and slung the longbow onto his back. Without a moment's hesitation, the two of them hurried through the village gate and plunged into the forest outside.
On the two bodies left lying on the ground, the embedded arrows stood like growing saplings. Their feathers quivered gently in the breeze, as though stretching out branches and leaves.
* * *
A wild beast's distant, hollow cry carried from far away. By the time it reached her ears, only its fading end remained, but it still sent a chill through her. The woman shrank back in fear, bumping her back against rough wood.
This was her husband's hunting hut in the forest. It stood on high ground, so there was no need to worry about rainwater. It was also extremely well concealed: a pit had been dug in the ground, with crossbeams laid over it and grass spread on top. Not just people, but even most wild animals would be unable to find it. As long as she did not wander off, she would be perfectly safe...
She had only given birth yesterday and was still very weak. Countless creatures in the forest could easily make a meal of her... Though no wild animal threatened her for the moment, the fear in her heart kept growing, pressing down on her until she could hardly breathe.
While the woman was suffering through this torment, the roof of the hunting hut was suddenly pulled open. Before she could scream, she saw her husband standing there, looking at her with his longbow on his back.
"Darling, I've got the doctor. Hurry! We have to leave..."
Before her smile could reach the corners of her mouth, it turned to utter terror... A sharp arrow suddenly flew in from the side and pierced her husband's neck. Its bloodied point burst out the other side...
The hunter's eyes went blank and dazed. Before he could understand what had happened, he toppled headfirst to the ground. Bright red fluid flecked with bloody foam flowed from his mouth, seeped through the roof of the hunting hut, and dripped down beside the woman's feet...
She stood frozen in place, her mouth open but unable to make a sound. Hoofbeats quickly began to approach from the distance. Red firelight lit the surrounding bushes. The soldiers' angry shouts and cruel, mocking laughter were already reaching her ears.
A slender hand reached in from the side, seized the woman's collar, and hauled her out. Her face ashen, Talina glanced at the dead hunter and clenched her teeth. Then, without hesitation, she grabbed the woman's hand and fled desperately into the depths of the forest, the child held in her arms...
Only the longbow made from yew wood lay quietly in the blood, keeping company with its master as his body began to grow cold...
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