Robin Hood | The Stormwhite Between Them

Chapter 3

Song: Fine by Ian McConnell

Robin let go a flurry of arrows each embedding themselves into their body, killing them instantly. Erak was by her side chopping into the bandits right and left, Svengal was doing the same on her other side. There were so many of them she quickly ran out of arrows and temporarily discarded her bow, switching to her beloved axe. Robin was almost disappointed at how quickly they had killed the bandits, but finally after days of misleading them it was over, and that was definitely relieving.

Robin crouched slinging the retrieved bow over her shoulder as she carefully pulled one of her arrows out of a mans chest. Erak did the same to another and handed her the shaft, "so what are you lot doing in this part of the world?" She asked him, curiously.

"Tracking some pirates but must have somehow ended up tracking these guys." He nudged a dead bandit with the toe of his boot. "Now we have to get back to the ship."

"When do we leave?" She pulled out her last arrow, stowing it in her quiver.

"You're coming?" He grinned broadly.

"Of course, you guys won't get far with out me." She nudged him lightly with her elbow, she had done her part, leading the bandits away. Now she had to trust that her crew could find Skippy, before it was to late. 

"It'll be good to have you on board." He turned around and shouted to his men. "Let's wrap this up and get back to the WolfWind!" He shouted, making a large swooping gesture withone hand, and they hurried about prepping to leave. Erak turned back to her and put his hand on her upper back, she leaned into his touch. "How have you been Aasta?" His voice went quiet when he said her name so that no one else could hear it.

She smiled tiredly at him, she shrugged, but under his gaze in the end she answered his question. "Been leading these guys away from my crew for a while."

She looked up at him and he saw the exhaustion plain on her face. "When was the last time you got some sleep?"

"A little bit here and there." He said nothing, "it's been a few days." Again he stayed silent. She sighed, "I got an hour in two days ago. Anyway." She waved a hand around dismissing the subject. "How have you been?"

He wasn't as quick to dismiss the subject of her wellbeing. "Aasta we can catch up later, in the mean time get some sleep in before we leave. I'll wake you up when we're ready to go."

She wanted to argue but was to tired instead she nodded and moved to a more comfortable area and layed down wrapping her cloak around her as she did. Robin was asleep before her head touched the ground.

Less than half an hour later Svengal shook her shoulder. "We're leaving."

They trudged through the forest, Robin half asleep, following the tracks of the massive Skandians in front of her. She was only half aware that they had stopped when she bumped into whoever was in front of her, she knew she muttered an apology when the figure turned around. Then she remembered someone leading her on to the ship, she knew that because she remembered wood swaying under her feet and the sounds her footfalls made. Then she noticed the same person leading her to sleeping area and that was it.

She awoke when a low rumble of thunder hung in the air, she let the gentle sway of the waves rock her. She opened her eyes with a start realising that the waves were anything but gentle. She grabbed hold of the nearest thing trying to steady herself on the wall. Where was she? On the WolfWind she assumed. She stood up looking around for familiar faces and her face relaxed when she saw Erak at the tiller with Svengal.

"She lives!" Svengal bellowed, a friendly grin on his face.

"Yes unlike all your aunties, I actually need sleep."

A snort escaped from Erak. "You were asleep for a long time." Erak noted, laugh still evident in his voice, Svengal always had a way of making absurd comments about aunties that didn't exist. She had in fact slept for a while in Erak's sleeping quarters which was separated from the crew's sleeping areas. They had just been about to wake her up in preparation for the coming storm.

She smiled pulling her cloak around her, glancing out at the distance, as the wind rushed around her, whipping at her frame. A wave hit the side of the Wolfship, making her lurch forward, scrambling to steady herself as the tips of the growing waves splashed onto the deck.

Erak started shouting orders to his men, preparing for the storm, "Hood." He finished as rain started pouring down on them. He pointed aft to where she saw a wooden pail, "can you help the men bail the water out?"

"You got it skip."