Mysterious Saviour

I hadn’t been paying any attention to where I was running and I collided with something that was both hard and soft at the same time. The impact knocked me backwards onto my bottom and I stared in horror at what I had just hit. It was a man with very long hair that was so pale it looked white. He had a slight tan on his fair skin and brown eyes that looked at me in total surprise. He held a bow in his hand, with an arrow already knocked on the string. He wore soft leather armor with a green shirt underneath, brown leather pants, and tall brown boots. He blinked at me and looked as if he was about to say something when a sound caught his attention and he turned away from me. I saw his profile and realized he had long pointed ears like the creature that had stolen my umbrella. I tried to crawl away, but he placed one foot firmly on my hand and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out in pain. Then I heard the sound that had caught his attention.

The leaves nearby rustled, and the man knelt near me, still keeping me firmly pinned to the ground. He held up his arrow and waited, motionless. I held my breath, feeling my eyes watering from the pain of his foot on my hand, but I did my best not to make a sound. Whatever was coming, this man clearly intended to kill it, and I’d rather not have him kill me first to keep me quiet. When the branches did part, the entire scene was over in a split second. An armored man wearing a helmet with large horns on it came out, brandishing an axe over his head. The other man released his arrow, taking the axe-man in the neck. I turned my head as the axe-man gave a gurgling moan, fell to his knees, dropped his axe, and toppled over dead.

I gagged, unable to keep the vomit down any longer, and the man rose to his feet, releasing my hand. I rolled away and continued to throw up, ignoring the fact that the man was once again watching me with his intense brown eyes. As I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and rose shakily to my feet, he continued to stare at me as if I was a ghost, but he held his bow loosely in his hand. I turned to leave, but he grabbed me by the arm and held me tightly.

“Not so fast,” he said in a quite voice. “This way.”