She pressed her mind to other things. The weather, the seasons, her upcoming hunts, everything she would have focused on before. She occupied herself with songs of her childhood, humming them to herself, and remembering all the old tales that surrounded her youth. All had been quiet, all was calm. She had kept her mind to the point, and was steadily getting over her ridiculous mood. She was certain she was.

In preparation for another hunt, she'd taken the liberty to construct a sort of pulley to lift the deer from the ground. Her only problem was whether or not she could actually lift the creature. She could drag it, but that was hardly the same. Either way, she was ready, and could finally go on a hunt by herself, without micromanagement from... Anyone.

Grabbing her bow and quiver, she set out on her usual path. Last time she'd gone hunting, she had traveled farther having had a better method of bringing her catch back home. But now She traveled her old hunting route. She remembered every tree, every rock, every slope, and dip. It was all so familiar and she felt better seeing it all again, but somehow it didn't have quite the same appeal it did once before.

She breathed in as a crisp, cool gust of wind blew by. She needed this. She needed to feel all the beauties once again. She needed to feel the silence. Hearing the crunch of leaves, she silently traced the sound, following it to its source. She didn't have to wander far before she found it. A calm and content deer, grazing happily. She was about to fire until she noticed the small fawn trailing the doe. She sighed. She supposed she would have to keep looking.

Continuing on her way, she listened and watched jumping on every sound. Hours passed before she ever found another deer. But at last, her eyes landed on one that stood alone and quietly eating. Crouching in the leaves, she readied her arrow. She took her time, wanting a clean kill. She took a deep breath, held her hand steady, and...

The deer suddenly lifted its head and bolted. She lowered her bow. What just happened!? She had never lost a deer! What was the matter with her!? Her mental scolding paused as she heard something. Was there something else that scared the deer? She listened carefully and grew certain that something else was out there. Loud, clumsy rustling could be heard. Were there wolves? No, it didn't sound right. Whatever this was, it was loud!

She climbed a nearby tree and tried to approach the sound to get a clear idea of what she was hearing. It didn't sound like anything she knew. It was large, or maybe it was a pack. Something about it sounded organized. She wasn't sure how to describe it, but it had a chaotic order about it. As she was coming closer to it, she realized it was also coming to her. After a bit of travel, she finally came close enough to recognize the creator of this sound. She could just barely hear her heart make contact with her stomach.

The creator of this sound- No, the creators of these sounds revealed themselves to be a troop of armed, armored, and living, orcs. She could feel the blood drain from her face. Shaking herself, she moved as quickly as she could to reach her hut. She would need to gather supplies and take shelter in the trees particularly as they were coming in her direction.

She grabbed as much food and wine as she could carry, put out her fire, then ran out and up a tree. Hanging her supplies on a branch, she put an arrow to her bow and waited as the sound of marching feet drew ever closer...