I continued to kick while the carriage rocked back and forth, the scratching sound amplifying my fear more and more. This isn't right, I can't die like this. What about my revenge? What about the war? No, I won't let that happen. I won't die here, this isn't my end!
With one strong kick, I managed to create a hole large enough for me to escape from. I grabbed the knife from under the seat before I pushed myself up. I looked around and saw that the hellhound had gotten distracted with the food supply at the back of the carriage. I jumped down and immediately turned my head to find a bow and a collection of arrows leaning against the bodies of the coachmen.
I covered my mouth, unable to look at them as I pulled the arrows and the bow from their bodies and began running deeper into the forest. Upon finding the hole in the roof and an empty carriage, I heard the hound howl loudly, brushing the top coat of snow off into the air as I heard it rumble the earth with every step.
It'll find me. Not only does it smell humans, but it smells fear even better. I leaned against one of the ironwood trees, slowly catching my breath. Running in snow is terrible, it takes everything out of you. I need to find a solution, no one is going to save me out here. I need to find a way, I need to find a way to survive.
I looked around and only found one solution, which happened to be in the form of an almost cloud-tall tree that was stronger than iron. I ripped my dress's skirts off before tying them around my wrists. Placing the knife and the bow in my mouth, I slowly began to climb one of the tall ironwood trees. Hellhounds might be tall and their claws might be sharp, but they can't climb trees.
Their claws are sharp enough to cut through most things, but nothing can cut through ironwood apart from heat. It was practically indestructible, as far as monsters are concerned. As I continued to climb, I tried not to look down. I've been climbing trees since my early childhood to avoid bears and wolves alike. This is no different.
My fingertips were bleeding and I could barely feel them because of the cold. I glanced upwards and saw a rare stubby branch which seemed thick enough for me to sit on. Seems like I've been blessed today. As I continued to climb, I finally hoisted myself onto the branch and sighed. Just in time, because the hellhound had found my scent and was looking right up at me.
I snarled at my luck. I knew that I couldn't stay up here forever. I grabbed my bow and pulled back an arrow, trying my best to find the correct position. I haven't hunted for ages, but all of this is in my muscle memory. You can't forget what you were born to do.
I aimed and shot it right into their eye. The monster yelped, fire spewing out of his eye like magma in a volcano. I learned all there was to know on monsters while I was hunting. I wasn't taking any chances; I know all of their weaknesses.
The wolf snarled, pressing its eye into the snow and rubbing against it vigorously. I pulled back another arrow, ready to fire when it looked back up, only I was beaten to it. A harpoon-like weapon was fired from the forest behind me and embedded right into the hellhound's paw, making it nailed to the floor. Another three were shot, and a net was then cast over it. I turned around and saw men on sleighs jump off from behind them and run towards the beast, all while one of the men turned up and looked right at me, surprised.
The man walked towards the tree that I was in, and called out to me. "Do you need help getting down, My Lady?" I can't believe him. I gripped tightly onto my bow. Are these friends or foes?
The man below sighed before signalling to one of his men to go up the tree to get me. Like heck am I going to let someone pick me up and carry me down a tree. I placed my bow and my dagger into the makeshift belt that I had made myself with the leftovers of the corset and grabbed some of the fabric from my dress and ripped off a strip. I replaced my leather belt with the fabric that I had just pulled from my dress and grabbed the leather belt, throwing it around the tree.
I tugged on it, hoping that it would hold. It's not like I'd die down there, the snow is thick enough to catch me, but I want to show these morons that if a 'Lady' can climb up a tree, she sure as heck can get back down again.
Noticing what I was about to do, the man's eyes opened wide as he put out his hand desperately. "Hey, DON'T DO THAT!"
With one strong kick and with a lot of faith in my old skills, I slowly began to scale down the tree with nothing but a lousy piece of leather keeping me from falling. Every time I stopped, I thanked the wood for being so uneven and sturdy. I slowly descended and made my graceful descent until my feet disappeared into the snow once again. I sighed, my palms stinging.
It was worth all the pain, because every single man that surrounded that tree was rendered completely and utterly speechless. I smirked, shrugging my shoulders like it was nothing.
"What? Never seen a woman come down from a tree by herself before?"
-End of Chapter 5-
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