• Sylvia woke to the sound of Windsong's whinny. Carefully, she peeked over the side to see her prancing in place on David's porch. Sylvia climbed down from the rof and jumped into the ally. She stepped out as a groom approached.

    Windsong whinnied and a groggy David stepped onto the porch. The groom bowed to both David and Sylvia. "Sorry for disturbing you. Your horse must've missed you."

    Sylvia nodded and put some coins into the grooms hand. "Thank you for delivering her to me. I was just about to come ger her." The groom looked astonished but bowed and walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot she hissed to David,"Quick we've got to get out of here!"

    David looked confused as he rubbed his eyes "Why?" He put a hand over his mouth as he yawned.

    Sylvia put her hands on her hips, "Why do you think a ranger's horse would returen to its owner?" Before he could answer she said," The assasins must've tracked us. Now go get your things." David's eyes went wide and he nodded. Then he scrambled inside and crashes could be heard. He appeared a moment later with a bag and a bow over one shoulder, and a sword and two daggers on his waste. "Do you know how to ride?" Sylvia asked him. David shook his head. He took the hand Sylvia offered him and mounted behind Sylvia. " I suggest you hang onto something."

    David barely had time to snatch a peice of Sylvia's cloak as Windsong reared almost knocking him off. Then Winsong's hooves hit the ground causing both David and Sylvia to jolt forward. Windsong began to gallop out of town and into the surrounding hills when they heard the first howls. Trying to keep his grip on Sylvia's cloak, David looked back and saw something moving towards them. He squited his eyes and saw a black hound as large as a great dane, with bulking muscles. The eyes themselves were orbs of fire and occasionally David saw sparks flow around teeth and out of nostrils.

    "There are dogs following us!" David yelled to Sylvia. The hounds baying emphasized his comment and spurred Windsong on faster. Sylvai tried to slow Winsong down as they began to leave the hills and enter the forest. She cursed under her breath and started mumblig to Windsong. David looked at Sylvia. "Why do you talk to your horse?"

    "It's better than going crazy, isn't it?" she asked as she pulled Windsong to the side and grabbed her bow. She quickly strung it as the first dogs approached. David grabbed his sword and watched as the dogs approached. Sylvia drew her bow and sighted down the shaft as she called out to David, "Aim for the eyes and mouth!"

    David's eyes widened and he looked at Sylvia with uncertainty. "Won't that burn the wood on your arrows?" Sylvia fired and missed by inches as the dog dodged.

    "Yes but the iron will still be there, now shut up!" Sylvia screamed as she loosed another arrow. For the first time in a long time, solid fear pounded beneath her chest. The arrow she loosed sunk into an eye, and Sylvia, and by the looks of David too, had to keep from vomiting as it was heard. The dog collapsed in a heap causing one or two of the dogs behind it to fall.

    David charged towards the fallen dogs as Sylvia fired more arrows at the hounds remaining. Finding she couldn't fire her arrows with David in the way, Sylvia grabbed her two daggers and braced herself for the dog left charging her. David was too busy to be of any use to her so she had to deal with it herself. The dog was too close for her throwing daggers but still far enough away that she had to worry.

    The hound leaped at Sylvia and pinned her to the ground. Thinking quickly, Sylvia shoved her dagger between her throat and the dog's teeth. The dog clamped down on the dagger an yelped as the roof of its mouth was cut. Growling the dog shifted its weight, pinning Sylvia's other dagger beneath her.

    Sylvia wriggled and removed her dagger from the hounds mouth. She prepared to stab the dagger into its eye but before she could the dog bit down on her wrist. Sylvia yelled in pain as the teeth broke skin and drew blood. "Lord, help me! It is not my time to die!" she whispered to the sky. The dog continued to grwl and bit deeper into Sylvia's wrist. The wound burned as the hound's ire breath rasped in and out.

    Sylvia shifted her weight as she tried to free her other arm. She felt the dagger p***k her side as she tried to free her other arm. She stopped trying and ended up dropping the dagger as the hound his a pressure point. Then in a blurr the dog yelped and was knocked off Sylvia. She rose shakily to her feet, grabbing her daggers and trying to massage life back into the numb shell of her right arm.

    She raised her left arm and wiped dog saliva and blood from it as she looked for where the hound had gone. Sylvia heard a whimpeing noise and turned around to see David stabbing his sword down into the dog's open mouth. She went over to the dog and knelt dow, thinking to herself, "Lord guide their souls they did not know what they were doing. They were just doing as they were told."

    "Sylvia you okay? Your bleeding." David asked her as he caught sigt of her arm. Sylvia rose and began to soothe the frightened Winsong.

    With suprise Sylvia replied, "I feel better than I have felt for months." And she did. No more searching town week after week looking for some trace of an ally or a ranger in hiding. She had finally taken the first step on her long road. Plus, her companion knew the ways of the ranger. Sylvia paused in her stroking of Windsong's nose to think to herself. "Did Master Quickmount expect this too? Has he known for years?"