[Bronze Wood] Suspicions (Sam)

[Ulric]

Shyke! Ulric pressed his back against the beech, seeking to slow his ragged breathing. He’d lost contact with Sam after he’d taken off running. Perhaps the bear had gotten him, knight, horse, and all, and was now feasting on the lad’s bones. Crunch, crunch, munch. Well, it was no skin off Ulric’s nose. Skiving off hadn’t been the bravest of reactions, but it was smart, wasn't it? Ulric still had vivid memories of his last bear encounter, when he’d nearly had his ribs collapsed by a swipe of the beast’s massive paws. Would the same happen to Sam? In a way, Ulric felt partly responsible for the lad’s fate. He tried not to give a shyke about others, but it was so hard sometimes. Since when do murderers have a conscience? Ulric wondered as he placed a foot in the stirrup of his crossbow. Hauling the whipcord back, he slid it over the locking mechanism and placed a bolt into the slot, readying the weapon for action. At the very least he could distract the bear for a moment, allowing Sam – if he still breathed – to make an escape. Heart pounding, Ulric retraced his frenzied strides through the forest, hoping that he wasn’t too late.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

By the time Ulric returned, Sam had drawn his hunting knife. It wasn't much, but if the bear charged, he could throw it, possibly doing some damage, and then sidestep and score with the scimitar? Shyke, he was in trouble. Horse continued to rear and neigh in a threatening manner, though Sam could hear the fear behind it and he was sure the bear could too. But Ulric was back with his knight-killing crossbow! Well, perhaps he wasn't a murderer at that. Or perhaps he didn't want to lose Sam as a scapegoat for the knight's murder. Or... "Um, strategy?" he asked in a fairly strangled tone. He had sort of faced bears before, but usually he was mounted and fleeing to fight another day rather than defending the corpse of a knight that was surely going to look the worse for wear if they got him home to Syliras. Worse-r for wear? He was already dead, after all.

[Ulric]

When Ulric returned to the scene, anticipating the worst, the bear was still keeping its distance. No half-devoured horse carcass with a side of Sam, but the situation was still terrible. Sam’s weapons were drawn, and he seemed loath to abandon the knight – or at least turn his back upon the snarling bear. “Um, strategy?” asked Sam. He seemed loath to abandon the corpse, but Ulric was sure he’d prefer that to adding to the body count. “Strategy?” Ulric squinted down the stock of his crossbow. What the petch was his strategy? He’d already tried the ‘run like a frightened hare’ to great success, but he doubted it would be quite as effective with Sam on horse and himself on foot. Lethal, perhaps – but that couldn’t be helped. “Er… let’s back away slowly,” Ulric said. One step and his pulse was racing. Two steps, stumbling over a branch, nearly falling on his arse. Three steps, and the beast reared onto its hind legs, snarling. Now this is familiar. “I hate bears,” Ulric bared his teeth, and fired. The bolt sped from his crossbow, its fletchings thrumming as they sliced through the air, deadly point spiraling toward the beast, only to miss by inches. Well, shyke. “Um, perhaps we should keep backing away,” Ulric bit his lip as he fumbled for another bolt. “But... faster.”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam had to assume that the bear was more leery of Horse's flashing hooves than his own blades or Ulric's faulty aim. He sighed as the quarrel went awry, thudding into some poor, unfortunate tree who never did anything to hurt anyone rather than the snarling, ferocious bear who probably had developed a taste for human testicles soaked in fear. "Do you think he'll leave us and eat the knight?" he asked dubiously, slowly, slowly backing up in probable preparation for a hastier retreat. He didn't particularly hate bears himself, but he certainly didn't appreciate any sort of claws or teeth tearing into his precious skin. That smarted. "What am I saying? I have a horse... If he doesn't stop for the knight, he'll chase the slower of us." His brown eyes flicked toward Ulric. "You."

[Ulric]

“Oh, great.” Ulric shot Sam a dirty look. “So I’m the secondary bait now, am I?” Should have kept running when I had the chance. Ulric hoped to Ovek that Sam’s suspicions were correct and the bear was content to maul the knight’s carcass, but the minds of beasts were a mystery to him. Abandoning his attempts to reload his crossbow, Ulric looked from the knight to the bear, and then at Sam. Even if he managed another shot, he’d probably miss or worse, irritate the beast even more. Flight it is, then. “I swear, if I get eaten I’ll come back to haunt you,” Ulric grumbled, and took off through the trees.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam didn't have time for extraneous movement, so he merely sheathed his hunting knife and his scimitar and eyed Horse's movement. He slipped a foot into the saddle while Horse was rearing and stepped up and over as the great mass of him was coming down. As soon as all four hooves were touching down, he gave Horse the signal, and wheeled him around after Ulric. The man was smart enough, dodging through trees to make it more difficult for the bear to get a clear straightaway and run him down. This also gave Horse a bit of a challenge catching up as well. But he soon managed it and Sam held out his hand to Ulric, hoping that this stupid move wouldn't get him dead or robbed or raped or anything. "You'd better not stab me in the back," he shouted, waiting to help him into the saddle.

[Ulric]

I hate bears. Ulric crashed through the underbrush, pulse racing, as he wove his way through the trees. He was so focused on flight that he could barely think, let alone discern the sounds of pursuit. Abruptly, Horse’s bulk reared next to him. “You’d better not stab me in the back,” Sam shouted as he extended a hand. Ulric had always distrusted – nay, feared – horses, but he supposed this was preferable to being mangled and eaten. “Don’t count on it,” Ulric grunted as he grasped the hand. Despite Sam’s skinny appearance, he was surprisingly strong. In a flash, Ulric was hoisted onto Horse’s back, eyes wide with terror as he encircled Sam in a crushing embrace. Perhaps I should have taken my chances.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Horse was just fine with the added weight, but when Ulric's crossbow began slapping against his flanks, he whinnied with discomfort as well as fear of the bear, and took off. Too fast. It was all Sam could do to keep him from completely losing his head, and while he was strong and could carry two, the effort would weary him quickly. Sam, too, was distracted by Ulric's bear hug, hopefully less lethal than the bear hug from which they fled. Long minutes stretched out, seeming like hours, before they found themselves on a trail that Sam recognized as leading back to the general direction of Syliras. "Stop," he said to Horse in Pavi to lend weight to the invisible cues he gave him with legs and hands. Under those terms, Horse stopped, his barrel heaving between their legs to maintain his breath. Sam tried to listen for sounds of crashing underbrush behind them, but all he could hear was Horse's labored breathing, and the adrenaline-fueled breathing of Ulric and himself. "I think we're safe now," he ventured.

[Ulric]

“I think we’re safe now,” Sam said as he brought Horse to a halt. Ulric released his grip, sighing in relief, and leaned back. It wasn’t the wisest of moves. Off balance, he did a reserve somersault over Horse’s rump and landed flat on his back, just avoiding the massive hooves – but not the falling crossbow. “Gurrgh,” Ulric groaned as it landed on his face. There goes the last shred of my dignity, he scowled as blood trickled from his nose. Sitting up, he peered through the forest. It seemed like they’d given the bear the slip – at least for now. After the day’s excitement, Ulric didn’t plan on hanging around the Bronze Wood any longer than he had to. “Erm… thanks,” Ulric rose on jelly-legs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t big on gratitude, but there was no denying that Sam had probably saved his bacon. “I’m not certain what to make of today, what with all the shyke that’s happened, but I think it’s better if we buried it deep. What the knights don’t know they won’t know, and so forth.” Still, I wonder how the bastard died.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

With a word in Pavi, Horse stood still, knowing not to step backward or spook at the movement he couldn't see. In fact, he turned to peer at Ulric. Sam swiveled around in the saddle, leaning on his elbows to peer over Horse's rump at the fallen renegade. His amused smile was muted by mild concern. Once he was fairly sure the man would live, his smile widened in earnest. Horse snorted. "Yes, well... without the corpse, we have nothing to report, I suppose. Nothing that would be any good to us." He paused again to listen for the sounds of angry bear, but when the coast remained clear, he gauged the light filtering down through the trees. "Which way are you headed?" he asked, trying to sound noncommittal. The kind of man Ulric was, he would probably suspect something anyway.