[b]Miriam
Chapter 16: The not so silent woods[/b]

	"What in the name of..." Miriam remained hanging from the branch she had begun climbing. The rules for fighting against bears were simple; Don't do it. She looked down to where Ellie sat, the giant furball had fallen down on the ground next to her and it didn't move. "Ellie?!" She shouted down. "Are you alright?" Miriam still hung from the branch with one leg over it, she had an arrow betwixt her teeth and her voice was muffled because of it. Eliana looked up to where Miriam hung and gave her a sort of smile, Miriam didn't like it.
	"Never better." She said and stood back up, with suspicious leisure she dusted herself off and looked down at the giant dead bear next to her. Leia approached and circled the bear, sniffing its fur with disdain. She then looked up at Miriam and barked proudly, panting in glorious victory over her greatest foe. 
	"Well..." Miriam started saying with an uncertain voice. "What happened?" The Walker smiled and gave Leia a light pat on the head.
	"It's just magic, no need to worry your little head about it." Miriam twitched a frown. Her head wasn't that little. 
	"Hmph." She humphed while swinging herself off the branch, she landed on the dank ground with a thud and promptly swung her bow back over her shoulder. Approaching the dead bear to rip one of her arrows out of its thick fur. It had hardly pierced the skin of the great beast and yet Ellie had killed it with no issue what so ever. Something was seriously off, and the only person who knew what was off fighting monsters in the woods. Miriam looked skywards and spotted the light of some stars, she then found the closest boulder and checked on which side the moss grew. All the while Eliana remained close to the bear, petting Leia, wearing a strange smile on her lips. 
	"We're not far off out of the woods now." Said Miriam, looking back to the strange Spirit Walker. "The Southern exit should bring us out into the fields. Then it's just a day's walk to the fort. That a way." She pointed down south into the dense woods. Eliana nodded firmly and took a few steps that direction, she was full of vigour that Miriam honestly envied. Weariness had hit her like a rock and no adrenaline rush could match it. Her legs still hurt from where the shadow tendrils had tripped her but it wasn't the largest hindrance in the world. 
	"Good. I look forward to meeting these healers." Said Ellie, taking some steps into the forest to where Miriam had pointed. Miriam struck a concerned frown and adjusted the bow over her shoulder. 
	"Yeah, well..." Miriam looked back the way they had come and as she looked the whole forest seemed to shudder with a tremor of power. Something roared within it and Miriam could imagine what it had been. "How do you think she's doing?" Eliana looked the same direction and seemed to consider this for a moment. 
	"Don't underestimate those knights. She may survive." It was a blatant statement and it lacked the uncertain tone that had defined Eliana earlier. Miriam considered her available actions for a moment, eventually she sighed out and gave a sharp whistle. Leia ran up to her immediately.
	"Lells. Stay with Ellie." She commanded with a sharp nod and Leia replied with an affirmative bark. Miriam then looked up at Ellie where she stood at the brink of the thick foliage. "Wait just outside the woods, ought to be some elevation you can find. Got it?"
	"And where are you going?" The girl queried curiously. 
	"Picking up our jailor..." Miriam sighed and shook her head meaningfully. 

The way back was simple enough to traverse, Miriam had rushed through more dense woods before, but none with such hesitation. Whenever she had encountered a threat she and Leia were always fast and clever enough to avoid it competently or smartly run away. That was how she handled it, this hero business was simply not in her nature. There was another roar and Miriam changed her direction slightly to match it, she wanted to appear on the flank of the beast at least. She passed through a glade she recognized and the thundering steps of the monster grew louder, she heard someone shout in the same direction. Obviously the knight, Miriam did not even know the name of her jailor but at this point and time, she had to admire the courage that she possessed. She would have called it stupidity but considering the position Miriam had gotten herself into she figured she couldn't really judge people's intelligence anymore. Miriam pushed through some shrubbery and sprang out the other side into the pounded glen.

The gray back of the monster towered in front of her, its bull tail swished back and forth in frothing fury and its massive arms pounded the ground before it, or rather one of them did. The other hand was pierced by a spear held by the knight who thrusted against it in furious desperation. She bellowed a battlecry and pushed back, a futile action as the troll took a thundering step back and then swung its other hand about, it struck into the knight and threw her aside, but her sword had met it and the troll roared alongside the wounded knight as its hand was cut into. 
	"Crap. Crap. Crap." Miriam breathed rapidly and quickly flung her bow about, she strung a bow and pulled back the string past her ear. Actually striking the troll would be simple, the plan after that was less clear. She let the arrow go and it whistled past her ear speedily, it flew through the air and then struck against the back of the troll's head. A hit! Miriam thought. Only to realize the arrow had bounced off the skin. "Oh.." The monster growled and turned its head around, the large maw snorted and its blistered snout sniffed for the new target.
	"Miriam?! What're you doing?!" The exhausted voice of the knight was heard from the other side of the troll.
	"I don't know!" Miriam shouted back and quickly turned on her heels. She shrieked and sprung past one of the overturned logs just as the fist of the troll smashed into the ground behind her. She stumbled and quickly rolled to pick up her momentum, with the bow held in her hand, some of her arrows were lost in the movement. Miriam made a turn as the troll flipped the log in mad fury, roaring in frustration. The log crashed into the trunk of some tree that Miriam ducked beneath. She shrieked again, cursing her decision and cursing the knight, the troll and Walter. She did however keep moving, running from trunk to trunk to avoid the flailing of the furious monster. Eventually she had circled the glen halfway and was suddenly stopped by something in her path. She thudded against it.
	"I told you to leave! Where is Ellie?!" The knight gave Miriam a whack over the head.
	"Outta the woods by now with Leia. Don't you worry about miss Magic fingers!" Miriam shouted back up at the taller woman. "She can take care of herself." Their argument was interrupted as the tree they hid behind was smashed into, it creaked and some of the bark snapped off of it. The troll reached its hand behind to try and reach them, while pushing its weight against the tree. The Knight thrust her spear into the hand and the troll recoiled, but only grew angrier. "Besides. I came back to help you. So.... You're welcome!" The knight groaned and took hold of Miriam by the arm, dragging her away from the tree. They rushed past a mossy rock just as the troll toppled the tree they had hid behind. It turned and followed them, fuming with ravenous fury. Freda flung Miriam behind herself and readjusted the grip of her weaponry. The knight was tired but obviously intent on either winning. Or dying. 
	"Then help! And don't get in my way." 
	"Tsk. Excuse me, Princess." Miriam sassed back while drawing one of the few arrows she had in her hip quiver. She knocked it and awaited the Knight's move.