By the time Ivan had stopped coughing, his bad leg had given out and he had fallen to his hands and knees in the mud. Realizing just how pathetically helpless he looked, he quickly caught his breath and stood back up, wincing as he put too much weight on his right leg. Though he had no doubt in his mind that the woman was just a harmless traveler, he kept his bow by his side instead of fastening it to his back again. Just in case. At this point, he was more afraid of the possibilities of wolves or something than this stranger.