[i]Men.[/i]

Audrunar had charged the bear head on, and had gotten exactly what Erika had expected would happen: he was trapped under it, desperately trying [i]not[/i] to die. That would have been Erika’s fate, no doubt, had she stayed put, and she had no shield to prevent the bear from clawing her guts out with. She felt a strong mix of emotions for Audrunar in that moment. Anger, for insulting her and calling her a coward; amusement, for his stupidity in taking on the bear in a straight up fight; and pity, for how terribly he was losing. She didn’t want him to die, of course, and it was this that spurred her into action, even as nervousness wormed its way around her empty belly.

Faen looked to be trying to do something with the deer, though she didn’t know what. Erika doubted Jonrik would leave his wife to drive the bear off, and she also doubted he’d let her be the one to try drawing it away; it was hard to run in a dress. That left just Erika, and she pulled her bow free, quickly launching an arrow into the bear’s neck, just above the shoulder.

“Hey, you! Yes you, you worthless, hairy piece of shit! Let’s go for a run. Come on, get off the idiot there and chase me!” Assuming the bear continued paying attention to noise and was drawn away by her shouting, in addition to the arrow she’d shot into him, Erika turned and headed quickly back into the forest. She had no intention of filling a bear’s belly tonight, but she couldn’t just let him claw Audrunar to death.

[i]I wonder who the real idiot is here…[/i]