She woke once again in her tree, rested, but sore. She casually reentered her hut, glancing to her cot and finding it empty. Empty? She looked around but found the room empty. She stepped out and looked around, but could see the Uruk-Hai nowhere. Well, she'd thought it would have left sooner, so it wasn't a surprise. It was also probably for the best, seeing as the sky threatened to rain, and she didn't plan on sleeping in a storm.

She felt drops fall against her face, urging her to find shelter back inside. She sat down, watching as the rain began to pick up. It felt as if the past week hadn't really happened, it was far too absurd. But now all was back to normal. All was quiet.

Grabbing a knife, she set to work fletching more arrows for her next hunt, whenever that would be. She began wondering on the battlefield. She hadn't realized how close parties of man and orc had come to her woods. As of yet, she'd never seen any cross her hunting grounds, but she supposed she should be more careful. What would she do if a whole troop of orcs found her? Probably would be best to hide somewhere, she wouldn't want to test her luck on a large number of enemies. She wondered if the Uruk-Hai would come back with more of them. Would she have to move her base?

Looking up, she paused in her work as she saw a figure slowly approaching through a screen of rain. She reached for her bow cautiously, till the figure came close enough for her to recognize the same creature she had tended. She raised a brow in confusion. "What are you doing?" she questioned. It said nothing. As it reached her, it dropped a bloodied sharpened stick to the ground, then heaved a large deer off its shoulder and down at her feet with a thud.

"You've been hunting?" she inquired. "What gave you that impression." it muttered before shoving past her, entering the hut. With a grumble, the creature shook itself, flinging water from its hair like a drenched hound. She quickly moved to avoid the water, shooting the creature a disgusted look which went either unseen or ignored.

It knelt down to her fireplace, warming its hands, the flames casting an orange sheen over the dripping beast. "Why did you go hunting? I still have deer." she asked, "Not enough for traveling rations." it explained, still focused on the fire. "Well, you cant be planning on traveling in this!" she said. "You talk too much." replied the creature.

She crossed her arms in annoyance. "Are you going to process that deer?" she said, but it simply ignored her. With a sigh of displeasure, she grabbed her cloak, and her knife, and stepped out. she dragged the deer to a more accessible position. She paused as she saw the creature in her peripheral. Looking at it, it was leaning against the door frame, its arms crossed expectantly.

"What..." she spat in aggravation. It was its turn to roll its eyes. It strode to her, snatching the knife from her hands, and lifting the deer by its hind feet. Cutting slits in the Achilles tendon, it hung the deer from an overhanging branch, simplifying the handling. It gave her a self-satisfied look, implying its opinion of her intelligence.

Shooting it a hatful stare, she turned back to continue. She had expected it to return to her hut, not for it to hover over her shoulder, its arms crossed like a persistent headmaster. She tried to continue but found it difficult with the creature peering at her continually. What was worse than that was the moment she went to dispose of the inedible portions. At which point, it gestured to harvest organs she had deemed worthless.

She looked at it disparagingly, but it seemed adamant. Relenting under its piercing stare, she collected the repulsive pieces. Still, the creature seemed dissatisfied and shook its head judgmentally. It was judging her!? She finished her work after what felt like an age and went to wash her hands in a nearby stream of fresh water.

She wasn't looking forward to sleeping in the rain, but if the creature was still there, she supposed she should. She collected her bow as the creature stood staring at her again. "What now?" she said. "And you complain of my travel in the storm." muttered the creature. "Well, I have no option. Good night." she said before stepping out.

She hadn't gone five feet before the creature caught her, lifting her by the front of her gown, and tossing her back in the hut. "What are you doing!?" she demanded as she fought to keep on her feet. The creature casually closed the hut door, muttering, "Don't be a fool. If I wished you dead, I would not have need to wait till you slept." she opened her mouth to argue, but fell silent.

Sitting in the opposite corner from the creature, she watched it intently, not willing to just drop to sleep. She could hear the rain crash against her walls, the wind dancing with the trees. It was both beautiful and threatening to hear, but the creature across from her seemed numb to it. She felt like a frightened deer watching to see if a wolf had spotted her, and yet the creature seemed entirely unconcerned.

Suddenly the gaze of the creature lifted to meet hers, forcing her to look away. "You fear me." it said. She wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement, but she was silent. "I have no need to hurt you." it added. "The ways of the wild are unpredictable." she whispered. "Wild?" said the creature. "You are a creature of the wild, elf."/ "But I am not a wild animal." she retorted.

The creature didn't argue, and looked strangely calm, before rising to its feet. It moved in front of the fire, crossing its arms. "I am an animal of war. A weapon. I know this. A weapon is wielded with skill." he was quiet for a moment before throwing out a quick, "Sleep..." and returning to the cot.

She watched it uneasily as she hugged her knees to her chest and leaned against the wall. She supposed he was right, if it wanted her dead, it had the chance at any time. So she tried to relax, but she kept an eye on it for as long as she could, till sleep, at last, overcame her.