A rough start to a new begining

Sofia made her way through the lit tunnels in the Western Caves. Nodding to people as she passed by, a forced smile on her lips. She didn't like the idea of leaving her mother but Lady Estelle down the hall promised to look after her and send news if her condition worsened. Sofia just prayed she could find some remedy in time. Some healer. Some miracle.

As she neared the exit of the tunnels she paused. Taking a deep breath she glanced down at her traveling companion Guenhwyvar and nodded grimly. Moving forward she slipped through the hidden entrance and half crouched as she moved through the surrounding brush. Soon though the brush gave way to plains. Dry and scorched.

Kneeling down Sofia put her hand down and allowed Guenhwyvar's small sleek form to dart up her arm and around her neck. "We have to hurry Guen." Her hazel green eyes scanned the landscape as she watched for roaming enemies. It was too open out on the Southern Fields. There was not a whole lot of cover out in the wilds between the Western Caves and Northern Hyrule besides a few bushes and boulders. But what choice did she have? After all, if anywhere would have some healing remedy for her mother, it would be in Hyrule Castle Town.

She had thought long and hard about how she would get past the barrier between the fields known as Death Mountain. She could head to the west and take cover among the mountain boulders. But there was danger hidden away amongst the rocks. The moblins, tektites and other dangerous creatures. But to the east was a river. How she would cross that she was uncertain. And she would need a boat or raft to cross Hyrule Bay. Octoroks and other dangerous creatures live beneath the surface of the water but it seemed like the safer options of the two. There was villages on the other side of the river. A desert yes, but villages none the less. All the west and south had were ruins. And Kasuto village.

Shaking her head she looked up to the sun with a sigh. Judging from it's placement it was just around ten in the morning. Patting Guenhwyvar on the head she quickly made her way across the field to the northeast. Her eyes scanning all around as she made her way across the yellowed grass and dirt.

After traveling for about thirty minutes Sofia slowed down. Her ears perked up as she listened. She thought she had heard something. She listened intently for a few seconds before crouching on the ground. She placed Guenhwyvar down gently. "You heard it to, didn't you?" She whispered at her cat. "What's out there?" She licked her lips as she stared hard at her surroundings. She could see nothing moving, but something was warning her. Something in the back of her mind. Her insides churned as Guenhwyvar's ears flattened flat against her head and her eyes narrowed, a small hiss escaping the cats throat.

Pulling out her bow Sofia nocked an arrow and slowly rose to her feet. She had to keep moving. If she could get to the water she might have a chance of loosing whatever was out there. And hopefully avoiding an unnecessary fight.

Just then Sofia saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she saw a moblin burst out from behind some boulders and brush. It must have been lying in wait. Hidden behind the shadows. Lifting her bow she aimed and released the arrow. It flew true as it struck home in the moblins chest. The creature staggered back a few steps from the shot but managed to continue forward. A guttural scream erupting from its lips.

Standing tall and straight Sofia quickly sheathed her bow and drew her morning star and dagger. Setting her feet in wide stance she met the on coming monster with a scream of her own. She ducked and rolled to the side and the creature stabbed forward with it's simple spear. Sofia was on her feet again as she swung down at the creature with her morning star, a snarl on her face. She only struck it with a glancing bow as it managed to side step most of the attack.

The creature shrugged off the blow as it swung back at her. Lifting her dagger Sofia managed to turn the moblins spear skyward. She was too close to get a good hit in with her morning star so instead she kicked out, her boot solidly connecting with the creatures stomach. Sofia took a couple steps back to distance herself from the as she readied herself once again. Up came her morning star in a defensive position in front of her as she watched the creature regain its own footing. But instead of charging her right away the creature let out a roar. One that echoed across the fields as it slammed its fists into the ground. Standing up it raised it's spear and charged.

Waiting until the last second Sofia hit the ground as the moblin charged into her. A groan escaped her lips as the moblins heavy boots slammed into her side but it did the trick as the creature tumbled to the ground. Dropping its spear only to have it tumble a few feet away. Staggering to her feet Sofia was about to attack when she spotted a dust cloud to the east. Looking over a look of horror crossed her face as she saw a handful of moblins charging her way. The creatures scream must have alerted others in the area.

Cursing under her breath Sofia quickly sheathed her weapons and called to her cat who was hiding by a small clump of bushes. "Come Guen! Time to run!" She dashed past the cat and knelt just low enough for the cat to hop onto her shoulders as she ran directly to the west. Her only hope was the mountains. Or Kokiri forest. She couldn't go back to the Western Caves. She didn't want to put the others in danger. She didn't want the moblins finding out about the caves and reporting back to the others.

Gritting her teeth she went at a break neck run across the fields. Hoping that she had the stamina to out run the monsters behind her.

Holle stood up to a crouching position suddenly, his dirt-covered cloak shedding dust as he quickly raised his sling and sent a shot flying quickly off at the lead moblin. Shocked by his sudden appearance, the remainder hesitated for enough time for Holle to bring out a dagger in his other hand and leap to an outlying foe.
"What on earth are you doing? Are you trying to reveal the caves? If you get chased by these buggers, you smash the lot of them or else they'll keep chasing you. They're incredibly persistent, and while they're not good trackers..."
Holle paused his rant to wrap his sling around the struggling mobin's throat, tying it off too tightly for the moblin to breathe. Using the now-choking moblin as a kind of meat shield, Holle called to the girl again.
"...it's not too difficult to follow any kind of tracks on a plain like this. So, while I hate to distract you from your headlong dash, would it be-"
Holle, cut off from his speech at the near impact of a moblin running pell-mell at him from his left, slashed out with his dagger at just the right height to cut the combatant's throat, dropping him almost instantly.
"-too much to ask for a few arrows into the ones at the back?

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Sorry about diverting the course of how the thread seemed to be intended to go, but combat is so fun, especially against mooks like moblins! :blun_n:

The sun was rather pleasant today. Keera relished in the rays of light that flowed freely across the plains, settling on her long, flowing hair, warming it through. It was difficult to appreciate the full resplendence of the sun from the shelter of the Kokiri Forest, even though the shafts that cascaded down through the trees had their own unique appeal. This different climate wasn't only a source of enjoyment for Keera, however. Specific types of herbs grew out on the plain, but only for those who knew what they were looking for. They didn't grow in number, but they sure were valuable.

"Are you almost finished? You're going to get sunburn if we stay out here too much longer, you know." Melda, her shining green fairy said, hovering idly in the clear air beside her master as she foraged beneath a dead stump.

"I don't get to venture out here enough. Just a little longer, please?" Keera asked, looking up briefly from her busy hands, one of which flew up to shield her eyes from the sun. When Melda's answer did not come, she took this as permission. Just as Keera had finished picking the well-hidden herbs and dusted off her hands on her skirt, Melda chimed loudly in her ears.

"Quick, hide!" She practically shrieked. Trusting her fairy's instruction, she huddled herself against the stump, tucking her head between her knees. What followed was a band of snarling, grunting Moblins that rampaged straight past her. "Phew. Right, we're going." Melda said, as she started to fly back towards the shelter of the trees. "What are you doing!?"

Keera was instead staring at the event unfolding before her. A girl, fighting a soon-to-be crowd of Moblins.

"What if she gets hurt?" Was all she asked before starting a brisk pace towards the action.

"What if YOU get hurt!?" Melda shouted, but failing in halting her master. With an irritated grumble, she flitted after Keera, who took her trust wooden flute from her belt.

Sweat began to glisten on Sofia's forehead as her hair flew out behind her and the warm wind rushed past her face. She didn't know how far she had run, it felt like forever, but she knew that she had passed by the Western Caves. Thankfully she had been far enough north from her trek so when she passed by them she hadn't been to close for the moblins to go investigate.

She spotted the Kokiri Forest off in the distance but she didn't know if she would be able to make it that far. She guessed she was only about a quarter to half way between the Western Caves and the Kokiri Forest. But it seemed so very far away and her heavy breathing was coming in painful gasps.

A voice suddenly rang out into the air causing Sofia to skid to an abrupt halt and turn around. The voice came from a young boy who had engaged one of the moblins and was using its body as a shield as he fended off the attack of an oncoming creature.

Taking the small moment of respite Sofia began sucking in deep breaths of air as she tried to steady her breathing. She rolled her eyes though as she listened to the boy rant. "Men," she muttered quietly as she pulled out her bow and knocked an arrow. They always seemed to think they knew everything. Especially the teenage ones.

Her cat Guenhwyvar quickly hopped off her shoulders and dashed for cover as Sofia took aim and let loose an arrow. Once. Twice. Three times. She hit a moblin successively in the chest, causing it to stumble to the ground dead and trip up its ally that ran behind it. "Well I don't think you noticed, but I'm not exactly a warrior!" She snapped back at the boy as he finished talking. "I'm a ranger, and fighting six moblins by myself is not the easiest of tasks!"

She hesitated to shoot any more arrows at the creatures, not wanting to deplete her quiver. So instead she put her bow away and drew her morning star. Dashing forward she squared off with one of the front charging moblins.

Crouching low Sofia sprang up into the air at the last second as the moblin reached her and flipped over its head. Gripping her morning star with both her hands she swung forward, the metal spiked ball connecting solidly on the back of the creatures head. Completing her flip Sofia landed gracefully on her feet facing the remaining two moblins. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see the motionless form crumpled on the ground. She was unsure whether the creature was dead or not, but at least it was out of commission.

Then she saw them. Another charging hoard of moblins, running out of the Kokiri Forest. A groan escaped her lips as she tried to judge how long it would take before they reached their location. Then a small glint caught Sofia's eye. Blinking She tried to spot the small light again but didn't have the time to locate it or to see the young looking kokiri girl who had just emerged from the forest before having to whip around and hold her morning star up to block a spear that was jabbing towards her belly.

"There's more coming from the west!" Sofia yelled at the boy as she swung back in retaliation with her morning star. "At least a dozen it looks like!"
The moblin raised its spear to defend itself but the solid iron spiked ball smashed easily through the wooden shaft, splitting the spear into two pieces. Following through with her swing Sofia completed a full 360 degree spin and let her morning star smash into the moblins side. Crunching into the creatures arm. Hopping back Sofia pulled her weapon in close as the creature stabbed out vainly with the top half of the spear with its one working arm.

Suddenly a spear came sailing over the moblins head, thrown by its ally behind it. Sofia tried to spin to the right in time to avoid it but she couldn't miss it entirely as the spear sliced her left shoulder. Blood spurted forth as she yelled out in surprised and pain but she had to ignore her wound as the moblin in front of her took the opportunity to charge her. But she was sorely off balance. As the moblin swung at her she raised her morning star awkwardly in defense. When the spearhead connected with her morning star it forced the weapon from her grasp and tumbled away.

Dropping low to the ground Sofia rolled to the left and turned around, grabbing at the spear that was lodged into the ground. Gripping it with both hands she pulled it free and lunged forward at the moblin. Ignoring the sharp pain in her shoulder. The spear slipped into the prone stomach of the creature at an upward angle, piercing into its lungs. Wrenching the spear out Sofia brought it before her as the moblin crumpled to the ground, a pool of blood forming around the dead creature.

Holle shoved the corpse he was holding aside, forming a small barrier that he leapt over to jam his knife into the jugular of an onrushing moblin. Removing his sling from the corpse, he whirled it around and released the stone inside at an archer aiming its bow at one of Holle's temporary allies. The solid "smack" as the stone hit the moblin was overwhelmed in Holle's ears by the whistling of a cleaver rushing past his side. Jumping backwards, Holle's shoulder drove into the stomach on the assailant behind him, toppling them both and taking the opportunity to crush its throat beneath a well-placed elbow. Picking up the spear slung on its back, Holle aimed and threw at a moblin readying its own spear, then, concentrating very carefully, "nudged" its course into perfection, landing the broad stone head of the shaft squarely in the centre of the moblin's chest. A well-placed dagger throw dropped another of the foul things as Holle sighed.
"Well, there are only a few more left, how's about we mop these up and then have a good old-
Holle jumped to the side as his senses tingled harshly, telling him that there was something moving very quickly behind him. Grabbing the charing moblin's spear, Holle flicked the toe of his boot into the agressor's, erm, "private parts" as he yanked hard on the spear, which came loose from the moblin's grasp quite easily. Twirling it around 180 degrees, Holle shoved the spear through the fallen moblin's neck and continued.
"-chat, cup of tea, meal or somesuch? I know I could use a good cuppa."