Emrys had been running for so long that his chest burned as he struggled to breathe. Each breath was nothing more than a pained gasp, and he found himself stumbling into trees and over rocks, his legs weak and shaky. He had been collecting herbs in the forest surrounding the Druid camp when he had been spotted by a group of bandits. He had flashed his eyes gold when they attempted to rob him, hoping that the threat of magic would be enough to scare them off, but it had had the opposite effect. Now they wanted him as well as his belongings.

[b]"Get back here!"[/b] one of the bandits shouted, and in response Emrys pushed himself to run faster. His vision was growing blurry, black spots dancing in front of his eyes, and he knew he wouldn't be able to run much longer.

[i]I can't keep going like this. I have to hide and make sure they don't find me this time.[/i] Just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard a soft whistling noise, and a moment later sharp pain erupted from his right shoulder. He let out a cry of shock and stumbled forward, his left hand reaching up to touch his shoulder. He felt the body of an arrow sticking out of his skin, and when he pulled his hand back he blanched at the sight of green-tinged blood. [i]Poison.[/i] They wanted him alive, so he knew the poison wasn't life-threatening, but it was enough to render him unconscious, and he did not want to see what the bandits had in store for him if they managed to catch him.

Biting his lip to stifle any further groans of pain, Emrys veered to the right, tumbling down a small hill. He ended up sprawled on his back in the middle of a small clearing, the world around him spinning. He heard the bandits coming from above him, and he rolled onto his stomach, wincing at the pain the motion caused. His movements were becoming sluggish as the poison coursed through his veins, and he used the last of his energy to drag himself beneath an overhang, hidden behind thick foliage. The last thing he saw before he fainted was the group of bandits running by.