Foolish men

She appreciated his concern, his dedication to protecting the pack, and understood where his worry came from. The fact that he didn't want to run headfirst into something that might endanger her was endearing, but after limiting so much of her life with fear it felt good to actually allow herself some confidence. The fact that she was able to potentially help Mercury get back something so important to him was enough motivation for her to see past the potential danger. It was rare that she had that kind of motivation so she wanted to take advantage of it while she could. Mercury did eventually agree with some reluctance once she promised that they would abandon the mission if the danger actually presented itself, but she could tell he was still uncertain. She gave him a reassuring smile as they made their way out of the infirmary, through the castle, gradually following the trail that Mercury had left to find where his sword had been abandoned.

Leaving the Hallows territory had long been a source of fear for her and even though she had worked through the worst of that trauma and no longer confined herself to the castle like she once had, she was still on high alert as they crossed the borders and went into the forest beyond. She let Mercury take the lead in searching for his sword since he would have a better idea of where it was left and instead she focused on being a look out, her sage and lavender gaze scanning the landscape with her ears perked forward to listen for any sounds or movement. So far everything seemed clear and quiet in the morning sun, but she knew things could take a turn quickly if they weren't careful. It occurred to her now that perhaps she should have brought Eilwen to be an extra set of eyes, but she hadn't thought of it–which she was sure her raven would scold her for later. Finally, after a bit of searching she spotted a gleam of metal in the grass up ahead and with a soft gasp she bounded forward toward it, grinning triumphantly when she reached the sword. Glancing up, she saw the shape of the boar's body laying a handful of feet away. Mercury hadn't been kidding–the other guy certainly did get the worse end of the deal.

She had never wielded a weapon other than the small dagger she kept with her when she went on small trips so when she lowered her head to pick up the sword by its grip she was surprised by the heft that it had. Gods, how did the warriors swing these things around so effortlessly?! She had just picked up the sword and turned back toward where Mercury was standing a few feet away when she suddenly heard the quickly building sound of hooves pounding the ground, the noise making her hackles bristle as she spun around to face the sound. A boar was rushing forward directly toward her from the shadows of the trees far faster than she ever could have thought a creature of its size could move. She froze, wide eyed as the boar charged at her until finally her instincts or at least some scrap of self preservation kicked in and she turned the blade point first toward the animal, ducking down a bit to avoid its tusks as she braced herself a moment before it reached her. Her eyes screwed shut so she didn't actually see what happened, but she felt a sudden pressure pushing on the blade and nearly yanking it out of her jaws and felt a warm wetness as what she assumed was blood splattered across the side of her face. The boar had skewered itself through its chest in its blind charge toward her, the animal making a few struggling, squealing screams before it went dead weight on the blade.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"