As soon as the squeaks were heard, Steppe Archer's hand moved to her sword's hilt, while her other hand drew her bow. Her quiver, mounted on her hip was poised in such a way that she could draw from either her sheath or quiver in an instant, suited for switch-hitting just in case someone thought an archer foolish enough to go in with a bow and naught else. Two Rats approached, nothing too dangerous from the flank. In an instant, an arrow flicked into her fingers, immediately being knocked, drawn, and shot, piercing the rat's eye and tearing straight into the brain. The remaining rat would turn its head up to meet Steppe Archer's eyes, and, to a beast, her wild appearance would seem intimidating. Her large hair only added to her mass, making her 5'7" lithe form more akin to a beast of almost six feet in height and double her width. It was as if they were staring down a bear with golden eyes, trained to kill and transfixed on the twosome that flanked. 

Perhaps there was a moment of regret in the rat's eyes before an arrow pierced its skull, its last second of life spent feeling the agony of grey matter being twisted into a bloodied puree. Or perhaps it just lamented not clawing the archer's throat out. It was no matter what it thought however, as Steppe Archer heard the quickening squeaks and squeals behind her, forcing her to refocus on the party. In just a split second, everything was starting to go awry. Shade had been grappled, but managed to slay his adversary in the nick of time. The Guard Lady however was faring less well, having received a bite to her armor in a bid to intercept the rat that was no doubt dashing past her given her position. Steppe Archer had to act quickly, and drew her blade. Hurriedly sidestepping Guard Lady, she would drop her bow to the ground before Shade and draw her skinning knife as well, driving the knife into the back of the rat in order to distract it, then with all her might shift its weight off of Guard Lady before going in to behead it. Once that was fininshed, she would look around hurriedly, trying to see if there were any more rats.

She was...brutally efficient in her dispensing of beasts. In an instant she would draw the skinning knife free of the beast and relax a smidge if the coast was clear. Offering a hand to her half elven compatriot, she asked: [color=CC6633][b]"Are you both doing alright!? It didn't bite through, did it?"[/b][/color]